


Imprints Of Love

by Twin_Feathers



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angsty Schmoop, Animal Traits, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Seduction, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bonding, Discrimination, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, Knotting, M/M, Mates, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, Mpreg, Pack Dynamics, Sexual Assault, Swearing, Violence, War, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-05
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-03-29 05:49:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3884779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twin_Feathers/pseuds/Twin_Feathers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the notorious alpha of the Black Pack finds an abandoned cub in the woods and decides to adopt it, nobody expects for the little were pup to weasel its way into the heart of the alpha’s rebellious son and heir-Jared.  Now, almost twenty years after fate brought them together, Jensen and Jared are madly in love and freshly mated, but when a series of mysterious deaths occur and somebody from Jensen's past reappears in his life- will their bond be strong enough to survive the obstacles thrown at them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own anything. The story is all made up for enjoyment; no money is being made with it. The characters mentioned in the story belong to themselves and their actual lives have NO connection to the story-related content. Everything in this story is completely made up by the author.
> 
> Warnings: Mpreg, M/M, RPF, animal traits, graphic descriptions of sexual content, graphic descriptions of violence, vulgar language, mentions of past abuse, racism, discrimination and sexual harassment.

* * *

 

   

****

** **

 

 

 

Jared awakes to the sound of cracking thunder.

The familiar weight of Jensen’s body is sprawled out on top of him and Jared relaxes at the way his mate’s heart is beating in synch with his own from where their chests are pressed together.

A strobe of lightning illuminates the otherwise pitch black den for a second, casting a silver shine on his mate’s relaxed features and Jared leans down to brush a tender kiss against the curve of his lover’s neck.

“Hmm…” Jensen's eyes flutter open in a sweep of thick lashes. “Feels good.”

Rain is lashing against the cave, drumming steadily against the hard granite rock that shields them from the storm.

Jared smiles against his mate’s skin, his lips tingling with anticipation. “Yeah?” he asks, running his fingers tenderly down the other man’s back, along the slope of his spine.

“How good?”

He dips his fingers into his husband’s crack, gently stroking a thumb over the sensitive skin there and eliciting a sleepy moan in return.

Jensen’s eyes open at half-mast, pupils dilated in arousal and pouty lips parted to let out hot puffs of air.

He’s so goddamn’ gorgeous like this.

Jared can’t help but think he’s the luckiest man on the planet, having a mate as stunningly beautiful as his.

Jensen licks his lips, pink tongue tracing his plush mouth and Jared has to bite back a groan at the sight.

“Good enough to make me wanna ride you even though I could be sleeping right now,” his mate breathes out against his neck, sending a shiver down his spine.

And that’s all it takes for Jared to lose control.

With a husky growl, he grabs Jensen’s hips and flips him over so that Jared is looming over the blonde man, their faces only inches apart, their noses almost touching.

Jensen chuckles, squirming beneath his mate’s body, proud of himself for having caused Jared's control to slip. “Always knew you were a Neanderthal…” Jensen jibes, pushing playfully against Jared’s muscled chest in a half attempt to shove him off.

Jared shuts him up by capturing Jensen’s lips in a fiery kiss, not giving the other man any time to catch his breath as he starts to plunder his mouth. “Should have thought about that, before you mated me,” he pants against Jensen’s slick mouth when they break apart.

His index finger slips down to find Jensen’s leaking hole, rubbing teasing circles around the man’s puffy entrance.

Jensen must be sore from their numerous lovemaking sessions from the night before, and yet here he is, begging for more.

“I'm not complaining,” Jensen gasps into his mouth when a first finger breaches him, eyes fluttering closed and hips bucking down to grind into his alpha’s touch.

Jared is taking his sweet time with prepping him and when he leans down to run his tongue over his mate’s nipples, Jensen almost loses it. “More…need more,” Jensen rasps out desperately and breaks out into a sinful moan when Jared adds another finger, stretching him wider.

“God, Jay… need you so bad—“

“Boys! You in there?” a female voice rings out through the confines of the cave and both men freeze at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Jared feels like somebody just poured a bucket of ice water over his head.

He should have scented the approaching beta from miles away, but he had been too wrapped up in his mate’s enticing odor to notice her entering their den.

“ _Shitshitshit,_ “ Jensen is pushing frantically against Jared’s bare chest, trying to shove him off and cover himself up with the fluffy fur they are lying on.

Jared’s finger slips out of his hole with an obscene pop and Jensen hisses at the loss, trying to roll out under his mate’s weight.

Too late.

“Guys? Jeffrey sent me to—“ The words falter when Samantha suddenly appears in the doorway, eyes widening almost comically at the sight of the two rumpled looking, naked men that are weirdly entwined with each other on the bed.

There is a split second of silence before she realizes what she’s just unwittingly walked in on before she bursts out in laughter. “I swear one of these days the two of you are going to get stuck if you keep going like that.“

“Mom!” Jared exclaims, completely bewildered, while Jensen hides his own mortification by burying his face in his lover’s sweaty neck. “Oh _god_. Kill me now…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jensen,” Samantha chides with a roll of her eyes. “I’ve given you baths when you were a baby. There’s nothing on you I haven’t seen before.“

“Jesus, Mom—“ Jared sputters, gently prying off his mate’s hands and getting up from the ground, snatching his trousers from where he’d dropped them over the backrest of their leather couch. “Could you possibly make this situation any more awkward?”

Sam shrugs her shoulders, a suggestive smile playing on her lips. “Don’t tempt me, honey or I’ll tell you all about how your father and I spent the first months of our mateship together, because that man was just full of stamina, let me tell you—“

“Stop it,” Jensen groans. “Why do you have to torture us like that?”

“You didn’t have to take that question literally, you know?” Jared tucks up the zipper of his jeans with an uncomfortable wince, dick still half hard and bulging beneath the fabric.

Awesome. Now he will have to run around with blue balls for the rest of the day.

He hopes his mom is happy after having successfully bereft him of his morning sex and dented his manly pride on top of that.

Judging from the amused look on her face, he doesn’t doubt that she is though.

Sam chuckles; lifting her palms up in surrender.

“Alright, sorry guys. I’ll leave you to yourselves. Just—“ she throws Jared a pointed look. “Don’t forget that you’ve agreed to accompany your father on his walk through the pride grounds.”

“Yeah, I’m on my way.”

Sam is already in the doorway when she turns once again. “Oh and he said he wanted you in your wolf form, so you might as well get out of these jeans… I’m not gonna sew them back together if you rip them. Although, thinking about it- you’ve got a husband to do these things for you now.”

Jensen throws her a glower and Sam just winks at him in response, before slipping out and leaving them alone.

“Please tell me all of that was just a bad dream,” Jensen sighs when she’s gone, rubbing a hand over his face and then driving it through his dirty blonde hair, twirling a few of the golden strands through his fingers.

He looks like some kind of debauched angel, lips bright red and cheeks flushed in embarrassment, torso still covered in a fine sheen of sweat from their earlier make-out session.  
Jared walks over and pulls Jensen up, resting both hands on his mate’s hip possessively as he holds him steady.

“Sam doesn’t mind. She’s caught us before, remember? When you were sixteen...”

“The laundromat…” Jensen whispers reverently, eyes crinkling at the memory.

He’d been bent over the washing machine, boxers pulled down right below his ass, Jared’s hot breath panting against the shell of his ear. The machine had been on hot-water cycle, vibrating beneath him and sending his nerves into overdrive as he was getting plundered from behind.

Sam had found them an hour later, cuddled up together on a pile of dirty clothes, naked and sweaty, Jared’s knot still tightly lodged inside Jensen and spurting cum.

She had never actually mentioned that particular incident, but when they woke up later that day, they had been covered by a fluffy blanket and found a box of condoms with a sticky note on top sitting in the center of the laundry room.

  
_‘I’ll let this one slide- you ever fuck without wrapping it up again and I’ll tell Jeffrey. No kidding. Xx Sam._  
  
_Ps. Oh and don’t think this will get you out of washing duty…’_

  
Jared laughs at the memory, tucking a blond strand of hair behind Jensen’s ear.

“Jesus, we were such kids back then… you could have gotten pregnant that night,” Jared snorts, shaking his head. “Jeffrey would have killed me.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Jensen chuckles, brushing his lips against his husband’s temple and nosing at the brown curls of hair that fell into Jared’s face. “It was the first time we felt our mating call. He would have understood.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Jared sighs, knowing his father would have been bitterly disappointed if his oldest son- and the future Pack Alpha- had ended up knocking a 16-year-old Jensen up because he wasn’t able to think with his upstairs brain for long enough to get a condom on.

Then again, Jeff gets disappointed very easily by Jared.

Trying to not let himself get dragged down by the feeling of inadequacy and the awareness of his own shortcomings, Jared takes a deep breath- closing his eyes when the distinct scent of Jensen’s pheromones hits him full force, making his knees go weak.

“Smell so fucking good, baby.“

Jensen presses a flat palm against Jared’s chest, pushing him back.

 _‘You gotta get going’_ he sends out through their bond, the words loud and clear in Jared’s mind even though Jensen’s lips had never moved. _‘_ _Jeffrey will blow a fuse if you’re late again.’_

Jared smiles a million-watt smile, feeling all of his mate’s emotions, hearing every single thought in his mind as their bond opens up between them.

This is what they’ve been missing out on for six years. This is what it feels like to be mated and to dedicate every ounce of your soul, mind, heart and body to another person.

He leans forward to press one last lingering kiss against Jensen’s lips. “I’m gonna miss you.”

"Sap," Jensen fondly rolls his eyes, but leans into him anyway. “It’s only for a couple of hours. Besides, you can come visit me at the daycare when you’re finished. We could go grab lunch or something.”

“Or something,” Jared growls with a teasing nip to his mate’s lower lip before reluctantly pulling away and walking out of the cave.

It was going to be a long day.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So I was planning to make a Verse out of this story but I'll only do so if you guys are interested. Please drop me a note if you liked the story so far ;) thanks for reading and reviewing!


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

 

As it turns out, Jared _does_ end up coming too late.

He wants to blame his mate for being too damn’ hot and distracting but he has a feeling that excuse won’t work too well on his father.

Jeffrey is waiting for him at the foot of Blackdridge Mountain, his tall form laid out on the cool stone, muscles bulging visibly beneath the black matted fur of his body.

The high alpha is still imposing- even for a wolf his age, but Jared knows that his father is no longer as quick on his feet as he used to be.

Sure, Jeff is still quite capable of fighting his own battles and he can be lethal when the occasion calls for it, but secretly Jared sometimes wonders how long it will take for the matured wolf to realize that he’s getting older, _slower_ … and ultimately more prone to attacks of opposing wolf packs.

It won’t be long before another alpha recognizes the early signs of an aging pack leader and will try to claim his position by challenging him in a deadly combat.

Of course, Jared will never let that happen.

As Jeffrey’s only son and heir it is his right to take up the alpha pack status if anything ever was to happen to his father, but if an adversary alpha was to challenge his father in combat and win over him before Jared could step up as his rightful successor, the consequences would be unthinkable.

“You’re late…” Jeffrey accuses. “ _Again._ ”

There’s a hint of disapproval in his voice, laced with an age-old parental weariness.

“Yeah, uhm, about that—“ Jared struggles with the words, avoiding the whole ‘getting-caught-fiasco’ because he most certainly doesn’t need his father to know about Samantha walking in on them.

“I still remember what it’s like to be young and in love, Jared,” Jeffrey sighs with a reminiscent glimmer in his eyes. “But as future pack alpha you won’t have the same freedom as other wolves your age do. You’ll have to learn to be more responsible…to be a fitting role model for younger generations."

After a second of heavy silence, he adds "And you’ll have to learn to put a sock on the doorknob.”

Jared groans in mortification.

Great.

He should have known his mother wouldn’t be able to keep that little story to herself.

Trying to ignore the amused sparkle in his father’s eyes, Jared stares intently at his own paws. “Believe me I got the memo. Can we skip the lecturing and get a move on?”

“Watch your tone,” Jeffrey rebukes with no real heat in his voice. He’s not out for a fight, Jared realizes- his father is merely putting him in his place, showing him that he’s still the high alpha and won't tolerate his disrespectfulness.

“Yes, sir…” Jared murmurs, sounding more exasperated than apologetic. 

“You've got a big mouth on you,” Jeff unfurls, rolling up onto his haunches. “You got that from your mother. It’s gonna get you in trouble at some point.”

“Trouble’s my middle name,” Jared murmurs, his movements graceful and slow as he starts padding through the woods, moving out from the rock spur that shelters them from the rain.

“And what about Jensen?” his father asks in a deep timbre striding through the forest by his side, their furs blending with the shaded colors of the trees and bushes around them as heavy raindrops keep falling from the darkened sky above their head. "You willing to get him into trouble, too?"

Jared tenses, teeth grinding together at the way his father is trying to push his buttons. 

"What exactly is it that you're trying to say here, dad?" he challenges, stopping in his tracks and waiting for his father to do the same. His eyes are flashing a dangerous shade of steel gray and his inner wolf is riled up with fury at the silent implication of his father's words.

The alpha barely shoots him a glance over his shoulder, before letting out a deep exhale."You're no longer the teenage cub you used to be, Jared... you have a mate now, a mate who'd follow you to the moon and back without a second's hesitation. So you might be willing to make rash decisions for yourself, but you better think twice before doing something that could put Jensen in danger."

"Are you saying I'd willingly sit by and watch him get hurt?" he snarls, hackles rising with indignation. "That I'd somehow jeopardize his life by being irresponsible and childish- that I'm not apt to have a mate? Is  _that_ what you're saying?"

Jeffrey shakes his head, ducking under a low-hanging branch without slowing his pace. "No, Jared. I'm just... I just want you to be prepared for what's to come... being pack alpha isn't going to be easy. I want you to be ready when it's time."

Jared's nostrils are flaring, but he forces himself to swallow down his anger and follow his father's footsteps. 

Twenty-five years and still nobody can get to him the way his father does. 

"How's Jensen doing, anyway?" Jeff changes the topic. "Did he recover well from the mating?"

“He’s doing great,” Jared gives back curtly, unwilling to poison the memory of their perfect mating with his somber mood.

Heavy rain continues to pour from the darkened sky as they move deeper into the forest.

He shakes his head, splashing water droplets off his pelt in a high arch, only to be soaked again the next second.

“We both are, actually,” he adds, aware of the warmth spreading inside his chest at the truth of his statement. For a moment, the memory of Jensen is enough to brighten up his whole world.

“That’s good,” He can feel his father’s relief over their pack bond, the positive energy coming off of Jeffrey in large waves and clearing the tension-filled air between them.

His father might have had his concerns about Jensen at first, but by now he seems to have warmed up to the thought of the two of them being together.

“I’m glad to hear that you’re happy,” Jeff softly adds, his fur taking on a silver glimmer when a few sun rays break through the clouds and branches of the towering trees around them.

“Did his mating bite heal well? It can get infected very easily. Especially when he’s around the pups all the time—“

“Dad,” Jared interrupts his father with a hard edge to his voice. He knows the alpha only means well, but this is taking things too far. 

“He’s doing just fine, believe me. I licked it clean and the wound has scarred over. I wouldn't be strolling through the woods with you if he wasn't.”

He jumps on a fallen tree trunk that has lodged itself in their path and settles a piercing gaze on his father’s striding form.

“Alright,” Jeff hums in agreement, instantly noticing the protectiveness in Jared’s tone and backing off a little.

The mating bite is one of the oldest and most important werewolf traditions- meant to put a visible and irreversible claim on your mate that would show the outside world that he or she was taken.

It’s known to be a quite painful process and can sometimes weaken the bitten wolf for days or even weeks after the coupling if the wound isn’t properly cleaned. But Jeff should have known better than to assume Jared would ever let Jensen get hurt that way.

That boy might have serious troubles with punctuality and that big mouth of his, but if Jeffrey knows one thing for sure it’s that his son would do anything to ensure his mate’s safety if given the chance.

What he'd said earlier about Jared getting Jensen in trouble- it was unfair really, because deep down inside Jeffrey knew his son would die a thousand times over before he'd ever do anything that could harm his mate.

Jensen is the kid’s whole world.

That much is obvious.

But that's all the more reason why Jared needs to finally get that rebellious streak out of him and grow up.

It was time for him to take on some responsibility for his life.

Maybe Jeff had just chosen the wrong time to embark on the topic.

“What about that cave of yours? Are you finished furnishing?”

They have only just moved into their own den a couple of weeks ago and up until last Friday, Jensen and him didn’t have anything but a bed and rickety dinner table to call their own.

Now, the place is filled with both of their stuff, stacks of DVD’s and CD’s and books and fuzzy rugs to cover the cool granite floor… it’s their home. His and Jensen’s and Jared has never felt more comfortable anywhere else in the world.

“We’re fine. It’s all set, I told you and Mom to come by for dinner sometime,” Jared trails off invitingly, knowing his father probably won’t have the time to comply with his request anyway.

Knowing Jeff, he will be too busy roaming the outskirts of the Pride grounds for potential intruders or something along the lines of that.

His father has never really known how to put his own family above his job as the High Alpha.

“Yeah maybe, I’d really like that, son.”

Empty promises.

Jared knows better than to get his hopes up. He can’t even remember the last time his father has made small talk with him the way he does now.

Nowadays they barely even see each other outside of pack business.

The thought makes his eyes narrow a little in suspicion, because surely there must be a reason his father had asked him to come join him for his morning walk and Jared isn’t naïve enough to think it is because the alpha is interested in his mateship.

They weave around trees until they reach a clearing that overlooks Blackdridge Mountain and the nearby river- the lusciously green strips of land in between laced by the outskirts of the forest.

It’s breathtaking.

“Look at this,” the alpha whispers in absolute awe as if the beauty of their own pride grounds has never occurred to him before. As if he doesn’t walk up here to look at it every single day. “All of this will be yours one day.”

Jared swallows, feeling the phantom weight of responsibility press down on his shoulders.

“The people here- every single wolf in this pack will look up at you for guidance and expect you to take care of them in return- to make the right decisions for the pack… they’ll be willing to give their lives for you and Jensen just like they’d give their lives for me and your mother now.”

Was that supposed to be encouraging?

“I’d rather not have anybody die for me…” Jared gruffly responds, the mere thought of anybody in their pride losing their lives because of him making him sick.

“I won’t let them.”

"That’s not for you to decide,” Jeff responds with a shake of his head. “Their steadfast loyalty and trust should honor you. It’s their way of showing respect.”

“But I don’t need anybody's respect,” Jared protests. “I only need them to be alive and healthy.”

“One day you’ll understand… that these things go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other,” Jeff explains, sounding tired.

He skids to a halt at the edge of the clearing, his huge body ducked low to the ground, silver muzzle pointed towards the wind.

He scents a group of nearby hunters, _humans_ , roaming the edge of their grounds, but they haven’t trespassed the borders yet.

Jared feels their presence as well and tenses, whole body going rigid at the intruding presence of strangers. "Poachers this early on in the year?"

The inherent wrongness of their voices and footsteps coming closer to their pack territory is making his hackles rise in discomfort and tension.

"Yeah..." Jeff gruffly confirms. "They've been sneaking around the grounds for a while now... but I think they don't know what they've stumbled across... I guess it's time to give them a warning."

Jared nods, eyes roaming the green valley beneath him as he scans the area for any sight of the strangers.

“You wanna do the honors?” Jeff's voice makes him look up, eyes widened in disbelief.

“A-are you serious?”

“Go ahead,” Jeff chuckles softly, small smile playing around his lips. “It’s about time you tried it out…”

Jared grins, white teeth elongating as he throws his head back and lets a thundering howl tear from his throat, waiting for the rest of the pack to chime in.

He’s proclaiming his territory, as is customary for the pack alpha whenever someone dares to come to close to their grounds.

Jeffrey has never let him do it before.

The howl gets louder and louder with each wolf that chimes in and Jared recognized all of their voices, feels their spirits connect with his own in an overwhelming wave of emotions and thoughts.

When he opens his eyes again he’s swaying with the overwhelming sense of community and the Poachers are veering away from the pride grounds.

This is his family.

His pack.

His responsibility.  
  
He's gonna defend it with his soul and blood.

No matter what lies ahead of them.

 

 

“Lookit, Guys!” Chad throws his arms in the air as soon as Jensen steps through the daycare. “Look who’s finally been able to rip himself off his mate’s knot and come join us at work…”

Jensen flips his friend off with a _‘not-amused’_ expression and Chad chuckles, shaking his head.

“Leave him alone, dickhead,” Sophia chides, passing Chad by and pulling Jensen into a tight hug. “Thank god you’re back. Didn’t know how much longer I’d have survived with him all on my own,” she whispers into his ear, causing Jensen to chuckle.

“You _are_ aware that you’re stuck with him for life, right?”

“Guys, I’m right here…” Chad cut in from the side, looking mildly annoyed at their exchange. “At least wait until I’m gone before you start conspiring against me.”

Jensen shakes his head and pulls out of his battered leather jacket, throwing it over the backrest of his office chair. The worn leather is one of Jared’s old hand-me-downs, which is also the reason why Jensen always wears it, even though it sits a little loose around his shoulders and has definitely seen better days.

His gray shirt rides up a little on his hip from the movement, exposing a trail of bites and hickeys along the cut of his hip and Sophie wolf whistles at the sight.

"Mama likes..." Sophia teases with a playful wink and Jensen blushes a deep shade of scarlet, hastily shoving the shirt back in place to cover the marks up.  

“Get a grip, woman. He’s already scored the pack alpha- no need to stroke his ego any further than that…” Chad grumbles, pulling her in from the side and Jensen rolls his eyes at his friends’ antics.

“How about you both get a grip and let me know what I’ve been missing out on these past few days?” he suggests, trying to get serious.

It's not like he minds his friends’ playful joking but despite the fact that he’d just spent one of the best weeks of his whole life (being mated was _fan-freaking-tastic_ ), he couldn’t help but miss his job a little while being on holiday and he was motivated to get right to work now that he was back.

He had always had a nurturing side, but taking care of the cubs and watching them grow has filled a hole inside of him he hadn’t even been aware of having.

Now after almost four years of working here, Jensen can’t imagine ever doing anything else. 

He loves his job, loves teaching the kids how to prowl and pounce and growl and play with the other cubs in the group.

He loves to see them shift for the very first time in their lives and to hear their inarticulate thoughts when they tentatively start bonding with the pack spirit.

It’s a miraculous thing to witness and Jensen feels very lucky that he’s been given the privilege to be close to the pride’s most precious members- the future generation of the Black Pack.

Protecting the cubs and ensuring that they’re fine is something that he takes great pride in, but there’s a huge responsibility that comes with the job too.

They are three people working in the daycare- Sophia, Chris and himself. Chad sometimes helps out when somebody’s on sick-leave or on holiday but for the greater part of the year it’s just the three of them.

Sophia and he are responsible for the kids while Chris is mostly just there for protection.

The bulky wolf is one of the core alphas- the self-proclaimed safety guards of their pack and since the wee ones can hardly defend themselves in a battle, they always make sure to have one or more alphas around to protect them in case of emergency.

It isn’t unheard of for adversary packs to attack and ambush the children of their enemies in order to land an incredibly painful blow from which the attacked pride would most certainly never recover.

The Black Pack doesn’t have a lot of enemies- given their preceding reputation and strength in numbers but the mere thought that anything like that could ever happen to them is utterly unbearable.

Jensen shivers, eyes fixated on a spot on the floor in the distance until Sophia’s concerned voice rips him out of his gloomy thoughts.

“Hey, you okay?” she gently nudges him from the side, resting a comforting hand against his back and giving him a questioning frown.

Jensen swallows, shaking his earlier thoughts off and refocusing on his daily tasks. “Fine… is Chris already here?”

“Yeah, he’s outside with the kids. You sure you’re alright, you look a little pale, Beta…”

_Beta._

It is his new pack status. 

Jensen is born omega, has never really known how anything else. 

His physique is visibly different from most of the other pack members, being noticeably smaller and more slender than all the other alphas and betas in their pride- especially when in his wolf form. 

But by definition, his status has gone from “Omega” to “Pack Beta” the second Jared had bitten his neck, drawing blood in the sacred mating ritual that has connected their spirits and souls forever.

One day his mate will take over his father’s job as the leader of the pack and Jensen will have to stand by his side- doing everything in his might to protect the pack.

Jensen hopes this day won’t come anytime soon, though.

He’s kind of afraid that his friends and family will make a big deal of it and treat him differently when the time comes. Some of them have already started looking at him differently- calling him by his new pack status instead of his name and Jensen doesn’t like it.

“I’m not pack beta yet, Sophia. And even if I was—“ Jensen shakes his head and exhales softly. “I just want you to treat me as a friend. None of this whole- respectful, worshipping crap, okay?”

“But you’re Jared’s mate now,” Sophia protests as if that fact would change who Jensen was- what he was.

“So?” Jensen asks, snatching a stack of paperwork from his office desk and sifting through the documents in look for any letters or notes that have arrived in his absence. “I’ve been with Jared for basically all my life, remember? We’ve been together since before you and Chad even knew each other… it shouldn’t come to a surprise that we mated—“

Chad rips the documents from Jensen’s hands and dumps them carelessly on a nearby table.

“Hey!” Jensen growls in annoyance but when both of his friends just stare at him with disapproving frowns, he squirms a little in his seat.

“Believe me, you didn’t surprise _anyone_ , Jesus… the two of you are like conjoined at the hip or something…”

“The fact that you’ve been together for so long has nothing to do with the fact that you’re going to be pack beta one day,” Sophia explains, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “It makes you more than a friend or a mate or an Omega- it makes you one of the most important members of this pack because you’ll bear the alpha’s children.”

Jensen runs a hand over his face and sighs. “See- that’s exactly why we waited so long with the mating… I knew you guys would make a big deal out of this when—“

Somebody clears his voice and Jensen’s rant breaks off as he turns his head to find Chris standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the cool stone. He’s barefoot and not wearing a shirt, long hair falling over his shoulders in thick, curly waves.

If Jensen didn’t know any better he’d say Chris must have come in his wolf form and shifted after his daily morning walk around the premises of the daycare center.

“You done with your little speech there, Princess?” the man rasps in a deep voice. “Cause there’s a few kids out there that can’t wait to see you…”

Jensen pulls Chris into a manly half-hug. “Thanks, man. Good to see you.”

“Good to have you back. Listen up, before you go out there… there’s one more thing you should know—“

Chris hesitates and from the way he’s frowning and biting his lower lip Jensen can tell that whatever comes next won’t be good.

He shoots a look towards Sophia and Chad, eyebrows drawn up demandingly. “Alright, spit it out. What’s going on?” 

Sophia pulls out of her mates embrace and sighs heavily, looking oddly guilty as she walks over to stand before Jensen.

There is more tension-filled silence with Chris and Chad exchanging worried looks- seemingly having a whole conversation with their eyes.

Sophia just looks apologetic.

_What the hell._

“Would somebody please tell me what this is all about?” he demands a bit louder now and then feels guilty about it the next second, when Sophia’s eyes widen and she draws back.

Sophie drops her head in submission and Jensen feels like a jerk.

“You remember David?” she asks him in a shaky voice.

The breath catches in Jensen’s throat at the wave of memories that cling to that name.

He swallows, trying to breathe through the rising sensation of panic in his chest.

“Why would you ask me that?” he utters, hurt and disbelief bleeding into his tone.

Sophie **_knows_** that he remembers David.

How could he ever forget what that man had done to him when the memories of what happened between them all these years ago still felt just as painful as they had felt back then?

Why would Sophia remind him of that bastard?

Chris stepped up from the side protectively as if his closeness could somehow shield him from the flood of emotions that swamped his heart.

“He came back, Jensen…”

“ _What?_ ” Jensen exclaims, fingers balled into fists by his side.

It's impossible.

David had been expulsed from the pack for what he’d done and more importantly- for what he'd _tried_ to do.

And even if he had the nerve to show up again, the core alphas would have ripped his throat for trespassing their grounds.

“Look,” Chris drives a hand through his hair, pulling the auburn curls back and away from his face. “We don’t like it either. That bastard found a loophole in the pack law. He’s got a kid now…”

Jensen’s mouth dries up at the revelation. “Wait a second- did you just say David Boreanaz has a _kid?_ ”

Bastards like him shouldn’t even be let close to children, let alone have any of their own.

“It gets even worse,” Chad chimes in from the side, looking just as pissed over the news as the others. “He’s the pup’s only parent, which means we can’t send him away while the kid’s still so young. Pack law states that—“

“No wolf with a child can ever be rejected when asking for clemency…” Jensen whispers, having learned the rules within their pride at an early age and never forgotten.

Any lone wolf who is pregnant or with young offspring and asks the pack for help needs to be taken up and provided for until the child is old enough to survive on its own.

It is a dead-end rule.

No way around it.

Jensen closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, steeling himself for what he dreads is coming next. “I’m guessing that means with have a new addition at the daycare?”

Because while the mere thought of having David back in the pack almost makes him physically sick, taking care of that bastard’s kid will also mean the guy would have an excuse to be around Jensen far more often than he feels ready for.

Sophia forces a sad little smile onto her lips and that’s all the answer Jensen needs to know his guess was right.

“Look, man, don’t worry about it, okay?” Chad tries to cheer him up. “Me and Chris will stick around all the time, making sure the guy doesn’t come close to you—“

“I don’t need a babysitter, Chad!” Jensen hisses, gritting his teeth in frustration. He feels his wolf roar up to new life inside him, skin itching with the need to shift and vent his anger. “It’s the kids you should be worried about, not me! Or have you all forgotten what that asshole is capable of!”

“Listen, Jeffrey said—“

“ _Jeffrey knows about this?!_ ”

“Of course he does,” Chris says. “You think we could slide that by him? He’s pack alpha, Jensen.”

“So why didn’t Jared know? Why didn’t we get informed about this?”

If anything, they should have been told right away. David’s sudden reappearance concerned them the most after all.

“Jen…” Sophia sighs. “You and Jared were on your honeymoon… Nobody wanted to bother you with such bad news. Besides, it’s not exactly like it would have changed anything if you knew—“

Jensen shakes his head, biting his lower lip when realization suddenly sinks in, heavy like a brick hitting water.

“The walk through the pride grounds…” he murmurs, wanting to slap himself for not having realized it sooner. “ _That’s_ why he wanted Jared to come along. To tell him about David.”

Chris looked uncomfortable, lips twisted. “Jay’s not gonna take the news well is he?”

Jensen met the alpha’s gaze with an annoyed eye-roll. “What do you think?”

 

“You did WHAT?!” Jared growls low in his throat, fletching his teeth, muscles bunching beneath the black fur coating his back.

He must have heard wrong.

His father can’t be serious. 

“You let that fucking pervert back into the pack after what he did to Jensen?! Are you out of your _freaking mind_?”

“Watch your tone when you talk to me, boy,” Jeffrey hisses, posture equally as tense as the two of them face off in the middle of a clearing.

They are mere inches apart from each other, bodies coiled tight and ready to pounce. Their breathing is heavy, the air around them filled with electricity.

This isn't going to end well.

Jared is ready to tear someone's throat out, his whole body alit with fire. 

He can practically taste the blood on his tongue, can feel the phantom sensation of oily liquid on his lips.

David is going down for what he did to his mate.

Jared will make sure of it.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know... this chapter wasn't exactly filled with action, but don't worry... the plot will thicken as we move along... I'd love to hear what you thought, so please drop me a few words if you can spare the time. Still interested in more? Please let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

„Do you seriously think I would have let Boreanaz back into the pack if I was left with another choice?”

 His father’s voice carries loudly through the woods, sending birds away in a flutter of wings above their heads.

 “Oh don’t you dare,” Jared’s lip curls into an angry sneer. “That’s a load of crap and you know it! There’s always a fucking choice when you’re High Alpha! You could have rejected his plea for leniency and—" 

“And _what?!_ ” Jeff snaps. “Let him roam the woods alone and packless with a frightened pup on his hands? Let the kid _die_ out there without the protection of a pack because we weren’t willing to take a risk, is that what you’re suggesting?” 

“Then why not take the kid and send him on his merry way, huh? There’s plenty of families in this pack who’d have loved to take on a new cub and treat it like their own—“ 

Jeffrey is so startled by his son’s suggestion that he momentarily forgets how to breathe, his gray eyes glinting dangerously in the morning sun.

“The pup has already lost its father, Jared,” the older wolf growls low in his throat. “I’ll be damned before I rip away the only parent it has left and make it an orphan.”

“And **_I’ll_** be damned before I stand by and watch that asshole get anywhere near an omega in our pack,” Jared shoots back protectively, muscles and tendons straining beneath his black coat of fur. “Least of all my own,” he adds with a possessive growl. “He so much as _looks_ at Jensen and all bets are off, I swear to god.”

“Jared—“  

Whatever his father wants to say next is interrupted by the sound of a panicked howl somewhere close by.

They both freeze when a lean wolf with a raven-hued pelt and icicle colored eyes bolts towards them with inhuman speed, his long, muscular legs stretching far and eating up the miles beneath his paws.

Jared instantly recognizes the tousled fur and thewy body of his friend.

“Rosenbaum…” Jeff whispers, eyes widening in alarm.

The coppery scent of blood fills the air as Mike skids to a halt in front of them, kicking up decaying leaves from the ground.

The core alpha is panting, visibly out of breath and from the way his chest is heaving Jared assumes his friend must have been running for a while.

His snout is painted a dark shade of crimson, the oily substance smeared across his pelt.

“Mike, what the hell happened—are you hurt?” Jared is on him in a second, sniffing and nudging at the crusted blood on his friend’s fur to check for any life-threatening injuries.

“Was it the poachers? Did they cross borders?” Jeffrey cuts in from the side, every inch the protective alpha of the pack in the face of danger. His dark eyes are gleaming with the promise of pain and death if anybody was stupid enough to have hurt one of their pack members.

“Michael!” Jeff snaps when the shaking alpha fails to answer his questions instantly. “Tell us what happened, _now_!"

“Dad, give him a second to catch his breath,” Jared intervenes, recognizing the early signs of a full-fledged panic attack and trying to give his friend some time to recuperate.

He shifts back to his human form without thinking and grasps his friend’s blood soaked muzzle with bare hands, turning it from side to side for better examination.

Michael leans into the touch, his huge form swaying lightly as he utters a low purr of gratitude from the depth of his throat.

_It’s okay. Try to calm down, I’ve got your back, brother…_

Michael seems to register the words and takes a deep breath, fighting for composure, before looking up to meet Jared’s piercing gaze.

The steel gray eyes are brimming with unshed tears and Jared has to hold back a gasp at the amount of grief he finds in Michael’s ogles.

Jared has never seen his friend this upset before and that’s saying something, considering that the core alphas are constantly facing danger and have seen their fair share of cruelties being the pack’s guardians.

“What happened, man?” Jared asks in a low voice, lightly carding his fingers through the unkempt mane around Mike’s snout in a gesture of comfort and support.

“Alpha…”

Jared isn’t sure if Mike’s addressing Jeffrey or him but right now it doesn’t matter.

“I-I was roaming the outskirts— _Fuck._ It’s not good—there’s, there’s a body—“

“What body?” Jeff cuts him off and Jared swears none of them is breathing in the second that follows.

“A dead body- they _killed_ him, Alpha… one of our youngest workers at the clinic.  An omega.”

“Show me,” Jeff’s voice books no room for arguments. His tone is leaden and unwavering, but Jared can scent the overwhelming fear that simmers beneath Jeff’s calm demeanor. “Show me where you found him.”

One look at him and Jared knows that Jeff has made the connection in his mind.

There is only one omega that fits Mike’s description.

Brock Kelly.

The kid must have been 15 or 16 tops… practically a pup. And now he was supposed to be dead?

Jared gulps and exchanges a somber look with his father.

“Take us to him,” he orders. “Now.”

Despite his initial concerns about having David’s son in their group, the day goes by relatively uneventful.

The cub- _Simon_ \- is surprisingly sweet and playful, even though he lost his Papa at such a young age and is left with David as a role model.

He’s shy and a little introverted, not quite as boisterous and curious as the other pups in the daycare, but maybe that’s what draws Jensen to him in the first place.

Sophia and Chris never stray far from Jensen’s side, shooting him concerned glances when they think he’s not looking and exchanging disapproving looks when it becomes clear that Jensen and Simon have an instant connection.

They are concerned for him- worried about what might happen if David finds out and how he could react to the fact that Jensen was taking care of his kid in his absence.

They only mean well, but Jensen knows how to take care of himself. 

He doesn’t want them to stick their noses into his business.

Truth is, Simon reminds him a little of himself when he was younger… the kid has this dark shadow around him- a bone-deep solitude that clings to his soul that Jensen feels eerily familiar with. 

The pup has lived through too much- been through too much and Jensen feels protective of the little one- wants to shield him from getting hurt any further.

He can’t voice his thoughts in front of his friends though.

“He’s a sweet kid, Sophia,” is all he tells the caring Beta after she’s pulled him aside for a ‘talk’ and bestowed him with one of her motherly looks. “No clue how he managed to turn out that way with a father like his, but I’m not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth and neither should you...“

“I’m not, listen, Jensen—“ she sighs, looking unsure of how to continue. “Maybe it would be best if you didn’t spend so much time with him. For all we know David could have something against it.“

“Well I don’t care,” Jensen gives back, shrugging a shoulder. “That bastard doesn’t get a say in what I’m doing in my child care. He’s lucky enough Jeff let him back in after what happened.”

Sophia looks reluctant at first, but after a second’s hesitation she lets it go, trusting him to do the right thing.

The rest of the day goes by in a flurry. The kids are excited to have Jensen back; demanding his whole attention for hours on end before Sophia finally takes pity on him and sends him off to their office for a coffee break.

Jensen hasn’t been in the office for two seconds when he tenses up- sensing an alpha’s presence and whirling around.

He should have known.

But when he comes face to face with the man that had haunted him in his dreams for nearly five years now- the man who nearly destroyed his life- Jensen still isn’t prepared for the encounter.

The coffee mug falls from his fingers, hitting the granite floor with a loud shatter- pieces of ceramic flying everywhere and hot liquid splashing in all directions and scalding his feet.

“Jumpy much?” the alpha speaks, predatory grin stretching his lips apart.

David hasn’t changed at all in the past five years. He’s in his human form, tall and broad-shouldered, well-built, but not quite as defined as Jared or Jeffrey. His hair has grown longer over the years he was gone, dark curls framing his angular face in a tousled curtain of bangs.

Jensen’s first instinct is to _attack_ \- every fiber of his being tingling with the urge to pounce David and rip his throat out.

He’s seen that bastard so often in his dreams- the lopsided smirk on his lips, the dangerous twinkle in his eyes, wanting to wipe that self-satisfied smirk right off his face, but now that he has David standing in front of him, alive and real and _right there_ \- he can’t even remember how to breathe.

“What are you doing here?” he asks in a hoarse voice, hating himself for the way his words waver- anger and panic creeping back into his tone despite his best efforts to hide them.

David unfurls from where he’s leaning against the cave’s entrance, slowly stepping inside and taking an examining look around the bureau. “Nice office… I like what you’ve done with the place.”

“Get the hell out, David or I swear I’ll—“

“You’ll what?” David challenges, coming to a halt in front Jensen, chin lifted as if daring him to make a move. “What are you gonna do, huh?”

Jensen takes a deep breath.

Being an omega it’s his natural instinct to back down when an alpha is raising his voice or striking an intimidating pose, but he forces himself to hold the other man’s gaze defiantly, not giving an inch.

He won't show weakness.

Not in front of David.

The alpha chuckles, stepping even closer and backing him up against the wall. He presses both of his palms against solid stone, bracketing Jensen’s head and leans in close to whisper against the omega’s ear.

"Looking a little startled there, gorgeous. What's wrong? Not happy to see me?“

Jensen can smell David’s cologne, heavy and overpowering. The man’s scent is almost enough to turn his stomach.

He closes his eyes and shakes off the sensation of nausea before shoving David off with a forceful push to his shoulders, sending him stumbling back a few steps. “Get the hell off me, asshole. The fucking nerve you have to show up here and corner me like that after the amicability this pack has shown you…"

“ _Amicability_?” David repeats incredulously, looking about ready to take Jensen’s head off. “Is that what you call the degrading treatment I’ve been subject to? Getting exiled by the pack I’ve considered my family?!”

“Do you want me to feel sorry for you after what you’ve done?” Jensen snorted. “You got what you deserved, David. You can consider yourself lucky that Jeff didn’t kill you on the spot after he found out.“

Jensen’s breath is knocked from his lungs when David grabs him by the shoulders and shoves him up against the wall, fingers curling around his wrists to hold him in place.

Jensen tries to free himself, tugging forcefully at the hands that hold him captive, but David is too strong and his struggles are getting him nowhere.

“You think I’m afraid of _Jeff_?” The alpha leans in, pressing his leg between Jensen’s thighs and forcing them apart, a twinkle of glee in his hooded eyes as he brushes his lips against Jensen’s throat in the mockery of affection. “I could crush that beloved High Alpha of yours with my pinkie if I wanted to...”

“Don’t—“ Jensen protests in a low growl when the alpha’s lips brush his throat, hot pants of air ghosting across the sensitive skin between his neck and shoulder. David’s laugh sends a shiver down his spine and Jensen nearly loses it when the alpha slowly noses away the soft fabric of Jensen’s shirt, exposing the freshly healed mating bite Jared has put on him a few nights before. 

"Get the fuck off me!" His struggles grow more frantic and Jensen’s skin is prickling with the need to shift, his inner wolf rioting at the prospect of having another alpha see him like this- at having David this close to the sacred claiming mark on his neck.

"Jared will  _kill_ you for this—"

“Jared Fucking Padalecki..." David spits the name out as if it was something poisonous. "I could smell him on you the second I set foot on the pride grounds. Could scent his claim on you even from miles away. It's ridiculous really, how that overgrown puppy was stupid enough to get himself tied to a cheap whore like y—“

Before David gets a chance to finish his sentence, Jensen head-butts the man directly in the face and hits him hard enough to send him flying back with a shocked grunt of pain.

Not giving David a chance to recover, Jensen follows his attack with a mean right hook to the flailing man’s chin, sending him to the ground in a flying heap of bones.

The alpha’s hands shoot up to where Jensen must have hit his nose- blood gushing freely from the wound and Jensen’s heart is beating so fast he thinks it will crack his ribs.

“You don’t _ever_ come close to me again or I’ll tear you to shreds, you hear me?” Jensen demands in a low hiss of anger, whole body shaking with adrenaline.

David looks up at him, expression murderous.

“You’re worthless, Snow. You’re nothing but a freak that sneaked its way into the core of this pack to soil an immaculate bloodline with your genes. Jared may be deceived by your tight little ass and these cock-sucking lips of yours, but he’ll come to his senses soon enough. Just you wait and see…”

By the end of his speech, Jensen’s shaking all over, fingers clenched into fists by his side and eyes brimming.

He feels like he’s a young pup again- nine or ten years young and naïve and so _very alone_ , getting pushed around by the rest of the kids in the pack because he looks different.

 

_“Look at his fur!” Tom shrieks, circling Jensen with disgust written all over his face. It’s the first day of were school and Jensen’s spent nearly all of his breaks locked up in the bathroom to flee the other kids’ accusing stares and hateful words._

_They have cornered him after his last class and thrown him into one of the muddy puddles out in the yard, pushing him back into the dirty rainwater whenever he tried to straighten up._

_Now he is shivering with cold, soaked through and through, his shiny white pelt crusted with layers of grime and mud while his tormentors are standing in a circle around him, laughing at his tears._

_"What are you crying for, Snow?! I thought you wanted to play with us,” David mocks, throwing a glob of dirt at him and hitting him in the face. Jensen stumbles from the force of the hit, yelping when his paws slip on the squishy ground and cause him to tumble over. He drops back down into the puddle, his paws sinking deeper and another roar of laughter comes from the crowd._

_"W-why are you doing t-this?”_

_He’s never done anything to them but trying to make friends. He isn’t sure what he’s done to make them hate him._

_“Because you’re not one of us. You’ll never be one of us! You’re just an ugly freak that Jeffrey found in the woods,” Sebastian growls, eyes sparking with a hatred Jensen can’t even understand._

_"You’re such a weirdo not even your own parents wanted to keep you and now we’re stuck with your ugly mug:“_

_“What the hell are you doing?!” a sudden voice thunders through the air, dark and accusing, cutting through the tension-filled air like a knife gliding through butter. “Get the fuck away from him!”_

_Jared._

_Jensen can’t help the sob of relief that bubbles up from his throat at the sound of his adoptive brother’s voice. The crowd parts and David’s eyes widen in shock at the sight of the black wolf in front of him- not much older than the rest of the kids- but already bigger- already stronger._

_Jared’s eyes are dark with anger, his teeth fletched in warning. He takes one look at Jensen’s mud covered, shivering form in the puddle and snaps._

_Roaring up in fury, Jared bolts forward and pounces David, throwing the smaller wolf to the ground, while the rest of the crowd gasps in shock and scrambles away, afraid to become the focal point of Jared’s anger._

_“Have you done this to him?!” Jared demands in a low and murderous tone- his paw pressed against David’s throat and claws digging into the other boy’s vulnerable flesh._

_"Answer me!”_

_David’s eyes are wide and frightened. He bares his neck in surrender._

_“Let him go, Jay…” Jensen protests weakly from where he’s watching the scene unfold, tear-filled eyes staring up at his older brother imploringly._

_Jared doesn’t react to his plea, doesn’t even look away from the writhing body on the ground- the kid that is lying here at his mercy- and could be killed so easily with a snap of his fingers._

_Jensen can't let it happen._

_"Please, Jay... I just wanna go home.”  
_

_That seems to rip Jared out of his rigor and with a last warning bite to the other boy’s neck, he turns towards Jensen and helps him out of the puddle.  
_

_“_ _You okay?” the black wolf gently inquires, his voice turning from low and dangerous to soft and concerned in a matter of seconds.  
_

_He gently nudges Jensen’ side, bumping his head against the smaller wolf’s cheek in a gesture of love and reassurance.  
_

_Jensen sniffles, leaning into Jared’s warmth and feeling whole again for the first time in hours.  
_

_"No;” he chokes out honestly, unable to hide the truth when Jared is looking at him like this. “I’m really not.”  
_

_Jared’s eyes flicker with empathy and before Jensen knows what he’s doing Jared leans in to lick some of the mud from his adoptive brother’s muzzle.  
_

_Jensen closes his eyes, momentarily overwhelmed by the sensation of Jared’s rough tongue grooming him, but the moment passes as quickly as it came and after a second Jared pulls back again, looking a little startled by his own action.  
_

_“C’mon let’s get you home… can’t let you catch pneumonia on top of everything else.”  
_

_They turn to go and Jared deliberately delivers another kick to David’s side as they pass him by, shooting him a warning glower in goodbye.  
_

_"Touch him again and you’re toast. Fair warning, knothead. And that goes for the rest of you, too!”_

 

  


  
It wasn’t the last time they’ve made fun of him or discriminated against him and it most certainly wasn’t the last time Jared’s ever stood up for him and protected him, but somehow this particular memory sticks out to Jensen the most right now. 

He still remembers how sad and lonely he’d felt for weeks after that incident and how he’d felt dirty despite having his fur washed clean right after it happened.

This constant struggle with being different from the rest of the pack and not really belonging here it had been a life-long issue for him. 

The feeling of never really being at home here- never really knowing his origins and feeling like some oddity instead of a valued pack member had resided within him from an early age on but people like David were reinforcing it and bringing it back to the forefront of his mind with a brutal ferocity.

“You’re never gonna belong to this pack, Jensen…” David spat out his name as if it was something disgusting or hateful. The alpha got up from the ground, wiping a trail of blood from beneath his nose and sending Jensen a deathly glower.

“You’re an outcast… an _abomination_ and it won’t be long before Jared realizes that."

“ _What the hell?!_ ” Chris’ voice cuts off David’s angry rant and it doesn’t take two seconds for the core alpha to have put himself between Jensen and the potential source of danger.

Jensen rolls his eyes.

Chris is only about ten minutes too late to play the protector, but he can't even blame the guy, given that he told Chris to back off and give him some space to breathe in the first place.

“What are you doing here?! I thought Jeff told you to not roam the ground without asking permission first? You’re still under custody according to pack law—“

“Oh please, spare me the speech, Kane. I’m here to get my son and just so happened to meet an old acquaintance… no harm in that, right?”

“Yeah right. Listen up, douchebag—“ Chris stabs his index finger into David’s chest, eyes promising death as he draws up his shoulders in a threatening stance.

Jensen shoots forward to grab his friend’s shoulder, holding him back.

“It’s done. I put him in his place. Don’t cause an unnecessary scene, alright?”

“But he—“

Jensen lets out a long exhale, feeling a bone-deep exhaustion weighing him down.

All he wants is for him and Jared to spend the night together in their den, curled up around each other and soaking up each other’s presence.

“I know… just let it go, okay? He's not worth it.”

Chris visibly deflates at the soft plea and steps back from David’s form, causing Jensen to sigh in relief.

“I’m gonna get Simon…”

He is out the cave and in the playing court before either of them can protest, hoping that the two alphas won’t start tearing into each other the second he’s gone.

 

When Jared comes home that night, the sun has gone down for hours and his limbs feel about ready to fall off, he's so exhausted.

He can’t shake the image of Brock’s dead body from his mind- can’t forget the way the boy’s half-opened eyes had stared sightlessly up at him in accusation.

The kid hadn’t just been killed.

He had been _slaughtered_ \- assassinated and displayed like some kind of message for their kind.

Like some kind of _warning_.

Jared shifts back to his human form, grabbing a pair of discarded jeans from the back of their leather couch and putting them on, warding off the cool breeze that drifts into their cave from outside.

They have chosen to buy one of the biggest caves on the very top of Blackridge mountain, with a stunningly beautiful view over their pride grounds, overseeing the luscious lands and the nearby forest. 

Sometimes Jared spends hours just watching life unfold from one of the windows but tonight he needs his mate’s presence to wipe the horrifying images of Brock’s corpse from his mind.

“Jen?” he asks, grabbing a bottle of water from the kitchen counter and striding forward to their canopy bed, where Jensen seems to be deeply absorbed in a novel, earplugs in his ears and nodding his head to the rhythm of some old classic song that blares from his iPod.

A fond little smile graces Jared's lips at the sight and he leans down, casting a shadow over his mate’s form before pressing a tender kiss against Jensen’s golden curls in greeting.

“Hey,” Jensen takes his earplugs out, lighting up the room with the smile he gives Jared. “Didn’t hear you coming in…”

Jared plops down in their nest of furs and pillows and drapes an arm over his mate’s shoulders, pulling the omega’s small frame against his chest in a loving embrace.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come get you for lunch today…” he apologizes, eyes averted out of the fear that Jensen might somehow catch a glimpse of the unspeakable horrors he has witnessed earlier today.

“It’s alright, Sophia made couscous at the daycare,” Jensen explains as he places a trail of open-mouthed kisses along the angular cut of Jared’s jaw bone. "Although I _did_ miss you a little."

Jared feels his skin tingle wherever Jensen’s plush lips brush his chin, but it’s not until his mate’s lips press against his mouth in a gentle prompt for more, that he pulls away. 

The omega halts his movements, pulling back with a concerned frown on his face. “What’s wrong?”

Jared tries to shake off his lover’s touch, unwilling to worry his mate with the terrible news of the loss of their pack member.

But he’s fighting a losing battle.

“Did something happen with Jeff?” Jensen pushes, voice dripping with concern and eyes filled with unease. “Talk to me Jay, you’re scaring me…”

Jared lets out a shuddery breath, steeling himself for the blow he’d deliver with his next words.

“Brock… he’s… we found him in the woods today… he’s—“ Jared closes his eyes, shaking his head. He can’t say the words out loud or it will make the reality of the fact inevitable.

Jensen’s eyes well up on their own accord and he opens his mouth, looking horrified.

He knew Brock better than Jared did himself… had hit it off with the young omega pretty early on and spent a lot of time with the wolf until he had mated and become busier with work and their daily routines.

“Is he—“

Jared nods and Jensen pales, choking around a lungful of air. 

“I’m so sorry, Jen. There was nothing we could have done... We were too late to help him.”

“B-but…how?” Jensen wants to know, pressing a palm against his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut against an onslaught of tears. " _Why_?"

It physically pains Jared to see his mate this upset, even more so than Brock’s death had hurt him in the first place.

“It…” Jared swallows, hesitating. He would give anything to spare Jensen the bad news, but there’s no sense in keeping something this important from him. He would find out one way or another.

“It might be an opposing pack… it looks like a…”

Jared bites his lower lip and Jensen falters.

“Jay?” his mate asks in a broken voice. “It looks like a what?”

“Like a declaration of war. I think we might be facing a war, Jen.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please drop me a review and let me know if you're still interested in more. A few kind words from your side make me happy and gets me motivated to update faster :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the long wait, guys. I couldn't really get my muse on these past few weeks. I tried to compensate by making this chapter extra long and I really hope you like it. ;) This chapter contains some graphic scenes so please heed the warnings ;) Hope you enjoy!

 

 

“A war?” Jensen repeats slowly, testing out the word as if it was a foreign concept. It weighs heavy on his tongue, leaves a rancid aftertaste in his mouth.

He finds it hard to make sense of what his mate is trying to tell him.

“But how? I mean—“

“I don’t know,” Jared sighs, brushing his thumb over his lover’s cheek. “But I’ll find out… and I will make whoever is behind this pay for what they did.”

Jensen frowns, deep worry lines creasing his forehead as he eases out of his mate’s embrace.

“I just… I don’t get it Jay, why would anybody want to hurt Brock? I mean going after you or Jeff,now that would be a tactical move but—“

“Hey, it’s alright,” Jared reassures, noticing his mate’s growing unease and instantly feeling the urge to comfort- to do _anything_ to erase the worry from his husband’s troubled features.

“We’ll figure it out, okay? Jeff will take matters to the council tomorrow and decide about the further proceedings… Mike and I are going to pay the surrounding packs a visit, test the waters, see if anything’s fishy—“

Jensen swallows, Adam’s apple bobbing visibly beneath the soft skin on his throat as he looks up at Jared through his wired reading glasses. “I don’t know, Jay. That could be dangerous... You might be walking straight into the hands of the enemy.”

“We don’t know who the enemy is yet, Jensen,” his mate gives back, trying to appease him.

“That’s my point,” Jensen says heatedly, working himself up even further. “For all we know any of them could have something to do with Brock’s death. Hell, Jared- any of them could be planning to kill you or Jeff the second your back is turned!”

“Look,” Jared breaths out, running his fingers through his rain-soaked hair. “I know it sucks, but this is part of my job. It’s pack business and I’m not about to tug tail when one of our own just got killed.”

“No that’s right,” Jensen snorts, getting up from bed and walking over to their kitchen counter to pour himself a glass of water. “You’re gonna get yourself killed too.”

“Jen…” Jared sighs, sounding exasperated.

Jensen swallows, trying to calm his frayed nerves.

He knows he is being unfair- knows that it’s stupid to get this affected over something he holds no control over- something he knew he was getting himself into the first time he looked at Jared with something more than just brotherly affection.

And yet he can’t help but feel paralyzed with fear at the prospect of Jared leaving his side- at the thought of him facing off with potential enemies and getting himself in danger.

“At least let me come with you…” he suggests after a beat of silence, lifting his chin to meet Jared’s stormy gaze. “Let me back you up… it’s what pack betas do, right? We could consider it practice for when these things will become daily routine—“

“Jen,” Jared cuts his mate off, rolling up into a standing position and walking over to cross the distance between them. “There’s no need for you to do that, okay? No wolf would be stupid enough to attack me. Not with the whole Black Pack on my side- ready to tear them apart.”

He places his arms on Jensen’s hips, pulling him in for a reassuring kiss, but Jensen turns his face away, green eyes sparking with defiance.

“If it’s so safe- then why can’t I join you?” the omega challenges, withdrawing completely from Jared’s touch. His eyes have narrowed to small slits and Jared knows they are seconds away from having their first argument as a mated couple.

His own lips flatten out into a thin line and he drives a hand through his auburn strands- a nervous habit he's never really been able to break. “Because it's not necessary, alright? You only just started working again today and I don’t want you to—“

“You don’t want me to do _what_ , Jared?” Jensen challenges, squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin daringly. “Stand by your side? Back you up? Are you afraid to show the world what a pushover you mated- what a _freak_?”

Jared reels back from the words, jaw dropping. 

“What the fuck, Jensen?” he grinds out, looking genuinely puzzled as to why his lover would speak of himself in such a degrading way. “Where’s that shit even coming from, huh? When have I ever given you the impression that you are a freak or a pushover- or anything but the love of my life and my whole freaking world?”

Jensen’s jaw muscle twitches, eyes downcast and purposefully avoiding his husband’s piercing gaze.

He's gripping the glass so hard with his fingers, it almost cracks from the pressure.

“Look at me,” Jared orders in a low, husky growl and Jensen almost shudders at the authority that drips from his mate's words. He’s all alpha now, strong and commanding, using his primal superiority to get his mate’s full attention.

Jensen has no other choice but to obey. 

When he looks up, his green eyes meet Jared's in a hooded gaze that settles like molten lava on Jared’s skin.

Once more, Jared feels overwhelmed by his mate's beauty- the streaks of gold in his brown hair, the sleek cut of his facial bones, the light dust of freckles painted across his pale cheeks -like color sprinkled across a plain canvas. 

Twenty years ago Jared had first laid eyes on him and to the day Jensen still manages to steal his breath away with nothing more but a flutter of lashes.

But it's not just that.

Jensen is also one of the strongest people he knows- capable and selfless and independent despite everything that happened to him- everything he had _endured_.

Jensen always came out on top, brushing off the offense, knowing his own worth.

He hasn’t shown such insecurities in a very long time and it scares Jared a little to see him so crushed.

“Jen…” Jared sighs, voice softening. “If this is about your fur color—“

“It’s not,” Jensen cuts him off, whole body tensing in discomfort.

Jared knows it’s a sore topic, but he also knows when his mate is lying to his face.

“Did anybody say anthing to you? You don’t usually take offense this easily.”

Jensen snorts humorlessly and looks away again, visibly struggling to keep his composure.

He knows what his next words are going to do to his alpha- knows how protective Jared can be- how possessive he can get, but there is just no way he could ever keep his meeting with David a secret from Jared, especially with the mating bond now connecting them spiritually.

Jensen figures he might as well get it over with- quick and efficient- almost like ripping off a band-aid.

“David came by the office today,” he breaths out, barely above a whisper, setting his water back down on the counted, cool finger tips trailing random patterns into the damp glass.

He watches the swirl of colors in Jared's eyes take on a misty hue- can practically feel the exact moment his mate is overcome by understanding.

David came by the office today...

David came by...

 _David._  
  
The words keep ringing through Jared’s mind until they start making sense- and then they hit home like a freight train driving into a brick wall.

“What?!” he sneers, backing Jensen up against the kitchen counter, muscular arms bracketing his mate’s side possessively. “What the fuck did he want?”

Jensen moves along easily, not resisting his mate’s control, emerald eyes opened wide as he holds Jared’s dangerous glower.

“Nothing… he didn’t hurt me or anything… he just... cornered me in the office and said some shit and I—“

“Wait, David cornered you?! You were _alone_ with him? Where the hell was Chris?!”

“Jay…” Jensen rubs a tired hand over his eyes, the beginnings of a headache causing him to remove his glasses and pinch the bridge of his nose. “Please, calm down. I’m okay, really. Nothing happened.”

“Calm down?" Jared repeats incredulously, his tone sharp like a bullet singing the air. "Don’t tell me to calm down when the fucking bastard who _molested_ you ten years ago comes back for a second round!“

“Jared! Shut up, alright?!” Jensen snaps, eyes sparkling with bright hurt at the unwanted memories his mate's inconsiderate words have brought back. His heart is racing in his chest, breath going heavy as he shoves Jared back, trying to outstep him. “I don’t need Chris for protection. I don’t need _anybody_ to protect me, alright? David still hasn’t changed- big surprise. He got a little handsy- I put him back in his place, no harm done.”

“That bastard could have done _god knows what_ to you!” Jared growls, nostrils flaring as he grabbed Jensen by his wrist and pulled him back against his side, unwilling to let the issue slide that easily.

“Yeah well he didn’t, okay? Stop causing a scene—“

“I'm not the one who's causing a scene, here. _You_ were the one talking about being a freak just a minute ago! Did David tell you that shit? Or was it just your low self-esteem talking?”

Jensen closes his eyes, letting out a long breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding. “Alright, let’s not… can we not fight? I just… it’s been a long day. David- he brought up some old memories of…of our childhood and the way I’ve been treated back then.”

Jared’s features soften instantly, his anger leaving him on a whoosh of air. 

He moves forward, closing the small gap between their bodies and running a soothing hand up Jensen's arm.“You know a lot has changed since that time, right? The pack loves you, Jensen. They have accepted you as one of their own, would give their lives for you if needed. The fact that your fur isn’t black like ours doesn’t matter to them. Not anymore. And it has never- **_ever_** \- mattered to me.”

“I know that, Jay,“ Jensen exhales softly, visibly deflating at the truth behind Jared’s words. “God… I _know_ … I’m being stupid, sorry- it’s just- it’s hard seeing David again after all these years and I—“

Jared shuts him up with a kiss, swallowing Jensen's next words with a brush of his tongue against plush lips.

"It's okay," he whispers with a possessive nip to the corner of Jensen's mouth. "He's not gonna come close to you again. I'll make sure of it."

Jensen’s hands moves up to cup Jared’s stubbled jaw, slide up into his thick auburn hair, catching in the tangled, wet mess before yanking him down into another kiss, teeth clashing in a battle for dominance. 

It has always been that way with them.

Fighting one second, fucking the next.

It used to annoy the hell out of Jeff and Sam.

But that isn’t necessarily a thought Jensen wants to hold on to when Jared is pressed up against him, hot flesh grinding together, with only the sound of their panting breaths and the rustling of clothes to underline their make-out session.

Without warning, Jared manhandles him up against the counter and lifts him onto perch on its edge, causing Jensen to let out a muffled gasp of shock in response.

“Did he touch you?” Jared demands in a ragged whisper, eyes blown wide in a mixture of arousal and bloodlust, hands moving down to cup Jensen’s ass through the thin fabric of his slacks.

Jensen gasps against Jared’s mouth, eyes squeezed shut in pleasure and legs falling open to let his mate move closer.

“P-pushed my knees apart 'n pressed me up against the wall,” he admitted in between pants, fingers digging into the fine cut of Jared's hip bone, as he thrusts forward to get some friction.

“What else _?_ “ Jared demands, thumb possessively tracing the steady pump of Jensen's pulsing carotid. “What else did he do?"

“T-the bite… he brushed his lips against the mating bite—I’m sorry Jay, I tried to stop him but—“

The deadly growl that follows is raw primal instinct and possessive anger.

"Gonna rip his fucking throat out for touching you…For touching what's  ** _mine_**...” Jared snarls, fumbling heatedly with his zipper, hard cock springing free from the open V of his jeans. Jensen shudders at the possessiveness in Jared's tone, pupils blown wide and dilated with arousal.

Jared rips Jensen’s slacks down so fast the omega's breath catches in his throat and the next second he’s got two of his fingers shoved up his mate’s dripping hole, fingering him open.

“You’re _mine_ ,” Jared repeats roughly, moving in deep with his index and middle finger and eliciting a broken off gasp of pure pleasure from Jensen when he brushes them against his mate's prostate. “Nobody ever gets to see you like this- nobody else gets to watch you fall apart like that or to hear the sweet little sounds you make when you’re getting well and thoroughly fucked by your alpha.”

“Jay… god, please—“

“You'll look so beautiful hanging of my knot. You want that don't you? Want me to fill you up, stuff you full with my knot and breed you?”

"Y-yeah. Fuck yes."

Jared replaces his fingers with his cock and starts rubbing the tip over his omega’s dripping wet hole. “Tell me who you belong to, Jen.”

“ _Yours_ …” Jensen pants out breathlessly, fingers clawing at the bulging muscle on Jared’s back. “’m yours… god fuck me, please- _Alpha_ —“

Jared growls, burying his nose in the sweaty dip between his mate’s collarbone and neck and inhaling the sweet scent emanating from his skin. He holds his omega in place, lining his leaking cock up with Jensen’s entrance and pushing into the welcoming heat with little to no resistance.

They both groan in pleasure, Jensen's head falling forward against Jared's shoulder as he tries to breath through the penetration, his tight muscle clenching and unclenching around Jared's dick as he continues to press in; stretching him as far as possible. Jensen's moan is muffled by the sweaty dip of Jared's collar bone, fingers digging into Jared’s back- squeezing his ass, his hip, pulling him forward in a desperate prompt for more. 

Jared flicks his tongue over the mating bite, gently sucking and nipping at the soft skin until the flesh is bruised and swollen and Jensen hisses in discomfort whenever his teeth brush the sensitive patch of skin.

Once his cock is buried balls deep in his mate’s tight hole he gives Jensen a second to adjust before thrusting forward.

Jensen moans plaintively when Jared starts rocking up into him, hard and deep, picking up a steady rhythm and sending his omega's nerves into overdrive with the way he keeps hitting his sweet spot on every single thrust, driving his shuddering body back against the counter with primal force.“You are mine, Jensen. I want to hear you say it.”

“ _Yours_ ,” Jensen pants, gasping when Jared hits his prostate yet again, knocking the wind from his lungs.

“You’ll never belong to anyone else. Never know the feel of another man’s touch or the scrape of their lips against yours. Never get fucked by anyone but your Alpha. Say it.”

“ _Never_. Yours… o-only yours… please—“

“Tell me what you want,” Jared whispers hotly against his ear, teeth clamping down on Jensen’s exposed neck, biting and licking along the cut of his collarbone to taste the salty skin on his tongue as he continues to fuck deep into him. He's keeping him right on the edge of his orgasm, making Jensen's skin crawl with the slow slide in and out, until he’s so out of it with need he can barely form coherent sentences. “What do you want, baby?”

“Your k-knot. Need you to knot me, Jay... _fuck_ , just do it already!”

“You want my knot shoved up your tight little hole-stretching it as far as it gets? Want me to pump you full of my sperm- fill you up with my pups and have you hanging off my dick for the next couple of hours?”

“Yeah, god— _yes_!” Jensen yells and Jared bites down hard on his shoulder, teeth sinking into the soft flesh, reopening the mating bite at the same time as his knot is lodging itself inside Jensen’s gripping heat.

Using Jensen's momentary distraction to his advantage, Jared lifts him onto perch on it’s edge.

Jensen lets out a muffled gasp of pleasure at getting manhandled and wraps his legs around Jared's side, giving them both more leverage as Jared's knot pulsates inside of him.

Jared can’t look away from the look of pure bliss that is taking over his mate’s features when he thrusts forward once again, pressing his knot in as far as it would go- right up against Jensen’s prostate. Jensen comes on a shout, muscles locking up so hard it almost hurts. Everything kind of fades for a second and then he slumps bonelessly against his mate's sweaty chest.

It’s the hottest thing Jared’s ever seen- his mate’s eyes are closed in utter bliss, his kiss-swollen lips parted and cheeks flushed a deep shade of red from exertion.

Jared feels his whole body shudder with the intensity of his own orgasm as he rocks up one last time into Jensen, unable to move much with his knot now firmly in place.

Jensen is pliant and fucked-out against him, shivering occasionally when one spurt of cum after another hits his prostate.

“God, I love you…” Jared murmurs softly into Jensen’s sweaty blond hair, inhaling the intoxicating scent of his mate’s pheromones and absent-mindedly licking at the reopened claiming bite on Jensen’s neck, savouring the bitter tang of blood that spreads on his tongue.

When Jensen doesn’t immediately respond, Jared frowns, pulling back to cup his husband’s flushed face. He bites his lip as he takes in the bites littering his mate’s neck and shoulders.

They look pretty savage.

“Fuck, I'm sorry, did I hurt you? It was just the thing with David… it got me so riled up and I got carried away—“

“Jay…” Jensen sighs tiredly, tilting his head to the side to kiss Jared's palm. “I’m fine- stop worrying, okay?”

“But—“ he starts protesting, suddenly regretting his choice to let his primal instincts and the alpha male wolf inside of him take over control.

The last thing he ever wants to do is hurt Jensen and he would never forgive himself if it ever actually came to that.

“Jesus, Jay, I said I'm fine. I just came _untouched_ ,” Jensen chuckles softly against his mate’s chest, rubbing his nose into the sweaty skin and inhaling his mate’s enticing scent, knowing it was now mingled with his own. "That should tell you something."

“But the mating bite—“ Jared protests weakly, fingers brushing against the swollen and angry looking skin around the reopened claiming mark.  

Jensen shudders and bites his lower lip to hold back a whimper. “It’s going to heal, don’t worry about it. Can we just… move over to the bed or something? Might be more comfy.”

“Uh- yeah, sure… fuck, I’m sorry Jen. Should have thought of that before—“ Jared snakes his arms under his mate’s shaking thighs and hoists his pliant body up from the counter edge.

Jensen moves along easily, tightening his legs behind Jared’s back and slinging his arms around his alpha’s neck for support.

Jared carefully lowers him onto the cool cushions of their canopy bed, nudging his knot against Jensen’s sweet spot in the process and Jensen can't help but moan when another jolt of pleasure shoots through him at the movement.

_So fucking responsive._

The alpha brushes a blond tuft of hair from Jensen’s verdant eyes and holds his mate’s heavy-lidded gaze for another second before leaning down to kiss him languidly.

“I love you,” Jensen says with unusually bright eyes, shivering in Jared’s tender hold. “You’ll never know how much I do.”

“Never get tired of hearing you say that...” Jared noses at his throat, caressing him with an open-mouthed trail of kisses along the side of his neck.

After a second of blissful silence, Jared closes his eyes and makes a vow. “’m gonna make David pay for having touched you. He’s not gonna get away a second time.”

“Jay…” Jensen protests weakly, sounding exhausted. The mood is effectively broken. “I don’t know—he didn’t really do anything yet—“

“So are we gonna wait for him to do something more serious? And I’m not even just talking about _your_ safety here- I mean think about all the other omegas in the pack—think about the kids—“

Jensen sighs, knowing his mate has a point. He’d never forgive himself if David hurts one of the other wolves in their pack when they could have done something to prevent it.

“Maybe we should tell Jeff what happened and then he can mention it in front of the council,“ Jensen suggests, fingers drawing lazy patterns into the sweaty expanse of Jared's back.

“But—“ Jared starts, getting shushed the next second when Jensen presses a finger to his lips to silence him.

“ _Tomorrow_. Let’s deal with it tomorrow, okay? I’m kind of worn-out,” Jensen blushes a little at the confession and Jared’s dick spurts at the sight. 

There is something undeniably hot about a thoroughly fucked-out Jensen.

“Alright. Rest up, baby,” Jared says in a hushed voice, pressing a gentle kiss against his mate’s lips before settling them both down into a comfortable position against the pillows. “Love you.”

Jensen hums something unintelligible against Jared’s shoulder, already half asleep and Jared grins down at his sleeping mate, before closing his own eyes in blissful serenity.

 

 

The next morning comes way too soon.

They exchange a few lazy kisses before Jared reluctantly disentangles his own limbs from his mate's and gets up to take a shower.

Jensen tries to stay strong but about halfway through one of Jared’s butchered Bon Jovi songs, he decides to shut his husband’s terrible singing up and sneaks inside the shower.

Two minutes later he’s pressed against the damp glass, feet slipping and fingers scrambling for purchase as Jared slowly fingers him open, the hot spray of water drumming rhythmically against their naked skin as they exchange lazy kisses over Jensen’s shoulder.

Shower sex has always been one of Jensen’s favorites- there’s just something extremely intimate about the damp air, the steam and the soft glide of hot muscle on wet skin.

It’s over way too soon and the water hasn’t even gone cold yet when Jensen comes, muffling his scream against the damp glass of the shower stall, fingers scratching down Jared’s bare back and drawing blood in the process.

Jared either doesn’t feel it- being too distracted by his own orgasm, or he doesn’t say anything, but when they step out of the shower Jensen winces with guilt at seeing the angry scratch marks on his lover’s back.

“It’s okay, doesn't even hurt,” Jared says, instantly feeling his mate’s concern over their bond and pulling Jensen in for a reassuring kiss.  
  
“You hungry?” he asks when they break apart and Jensen rolls his eyes at the question. Jared always seems to be thinking about food.

“I could make some scrambled eggs with toast or—“

“Shouldn’t _I_ be the one making breakfast for you, being your omega and all?” Jensen lightly teases, nipping playfully at Jared’s lower lip before drying himself off with the bath towel and striding out into their living room, leaving his mate to stare after his naked ass.

“ _Puh-lease_ ,” Jared laughs, admiring the view as he leans back against the doorway, openly leering at georgeous creation that was his mate. “You don’t even know how to brew your own coffee… it will be a cold day in hell before you ever make me breakfa—“

Jared’s sentence is cut off when Jensen chucks a pillow at his head. “Finish that sentence and it will be a cold day in hell before I let you fuck me against the shower stall again.”

Jared knows it’s an empty threat but that doesn’t stop him from gulping at the implied possibility. He shakes the thought off and walks over to the wardrobe with a soft chuckle, grabbing a clean pair of jeans and putting them on.

The tribunal will only require of him to be in his wolf form, but it’s still a couple of hours until the trials begin, and Jared isn't even sure if he will attend the trial for Brock's death.

Maybe he will just ask his father to deal with the council for now and leave to visit the other packs instead.

He just really isn't sure if he can be in the same roof with the fucking alpha who had dared to touch his mate again so soon after what had happened without tearing his throat out.

And that's about the last thing they need right now with everything else going on.

Jensen is busy brushing his teeth and putting in his contacts while Jared fixes a quick breakfast for the both of them- eggs and toast for himself and some cut fruit and yogurt for Jensen.

By the time they are both sitting down, hot mugs of coffee steaming up the air between them, Jared has finally found the courage to address an issue that has been nagging at him for the most part of the morning. “Hey, babe?”

“Hmm?” Jensen hums around a mouthful of coffee.

“You’re still… you’re still on birth control, right?”

The words hit right home and Jensen’s eyes widen almost comically as they fly up to meet Jared's gaze.

“What? Yeah, sure, I mean—“ the omega sputters, clearly taken aback by the question.

“It’s just, you know that I want to have children with you one day, right? God, there’s nothing I want more than for us to have a family of our own but—“ Jared shakes his head, driving a hand through his long auburn hair. “But we’re still so young and I don’t want us to rush into anything—“

“Jared…” Jensen sighs, halting his husband’s speech with a raised palm. “We’ve talked about this. I don’t mind waiting, okay? You don’t have to explain, I’m with you on this. Besides, it’s not exactly the best time now with another pack attacking and the possibility of an impending war looming on the horizon.“

“I just… last night when we were—I said some things and I—“

“It was dirty talk. I get it. No need to worry, alright? We’re all good.”

“I love you,” Jared says, opening the bond between them to convey the full extent of his love for the omega. Jensen closes his eyes when a rush of emotions swaddles his brain and mind.

He takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. “Me too… promise to be careful today?”

“Always,” Jared gives back easily, but Jensen’s heart is still clenched with worry. He knows he won’t have a calm second until Jared gets back from his mission whole and in one piece.

 

 

Tom and Mike’s den is located just a few floors beneath their own inside Blackridge mountain.

The apartments that are overlooking the pride grounds are more expensive than the ones that don’t, but Mike has a high rank within their pack being a core alpha and Tom used to earn good money with his job as a teacher before he took maternity leave.

Now he’s five months pregnant with Mike's second child, their first born daughter being only four years old and Jensen tries to drop by as often as possible- mostly to help the pregnant omega out with his chores around the household and to babysit little Alice.

Tom and him have been best friends for going on five years now, but they didn’t always get along so great. When Jensen first arrived at the pack- practically a pup and looking different from the rest of the wolves living in Blackridge Mountain, Tommy had made fun of his white pelt and discriminated against him just like the rest of them.

But he had been one of the first wolves to turn around and actually make an effort to get to know him better, and Jensen will forever be grateful for that.

When it became clear that Jensen and Jared were destined for each other, he and Tom used to hang out together more often and found that they had a lot in common.

Mike and him started dating a little after Jared and Jensen had hooked up and the four of them were practically inseparable after that.

Their friendship has only grown more intense over the years and Jared and Mike spend at least one evening per week watching a football game together or talking a nightly walk through the pride grounds while Jensen and Tom have a chat or play with Alice.

Today, Jensen knocks on their friends’ door for an entirely different reason, heart beating wildly in his chest as he waits for Tom to answer it.

Jared's been gone for about an hour now and Jeffrey is still talking to the council, so Jensen needs somebody to keep his mind off things before he goes crazy with concern.

Sure enough, the tall dark-haired man opens up on his third knock, eyes sparkling excitedly in the orange glow of the evening sun that shines into his den from the outside.

“Hey,” Jensen says, sounding out of breath. His nerves calm a little at the sight of his friend.

“Oh my god- let me look at you,” Tom cheers, grabbing Jensen’s wrist and pulling him inside without preamble. He’s got Jensen by the chin a second later, gently rolling his head to the side to try and get a look the mating bite that is safely hidden by his worn leather jacket.

“Knock it off, Tommy—“ Jensen gripes, swatting his friend’s fingers away.

“C’mon, you can’t hold out on me like this. You and Jared are finally _ma-ted_!! I can’t fucking believe it, never thought I’d see the day,” Tom teases, absent-mindedly rubbing his palm against his protruding belly in comforting circles.

Jensen swallows at the sight, feeling oddly melancholic. “You make it sound like it wasn’t a done deal.”

“Well excuse me for getting a little suspicious. You two took your sweet time making it official. Almost thought you’d gone and found yourself another alpha—“

“As if. Not exactly like I can resist a mating call, douchebag,” Jensen gives back gruffly, slipping out of his jacket and dropping down on the comfortable davenport in Tom’s living room. “Besides, you and Mike took ages to hook up- so you don’t get to tease me on this. Oh and speaking of which- did you know our mates are currently out trying to find Brock’s killer?”

Tom sighs, waddling over to their kitchen and wordlessly getting Jensen a beer from the fridge.

“Shut up, they are going to be fine," Tom shoves the bottle against his chest in a silent prompt to drink. "You’re overreacting because it’s your first time alone at home as a newly-wed… you know how often I have to go through this when Mike’s out there, protecting the pack and getting himself into the line of fire?”

Jensen takes a sip, closing his eyes at the way the alcohol washes down his throat. “It’s not like Jared’s never gotten himself in a dangerous situation before- but this is different, okay?”

“Different _how_?” Tom huffs.

“Different in that an omega was killed a day ago!” Jensen exclaims angrily, beer sloshing around dangerously in the bottle as he starts gesturing with his arms.

“This isn’t just your run-off-the-mills clash with another pack alpha. This might be something way more serious- and Jared and Mike could be running straight into an ambush for all we know!“

“Jesus, calm down, Jensen- you’ll wake Alice!”

Too late.

The babyphone starts cackling to life with Alice’s soft cries and Jensen feels like a jerk. He rubs a tired hand over his face and moves to get up from the couch, putting his glass down on the table.“Fuck, I’m sorry, Tom. I didn’t mean to—I’ll go get her—“

“No, it’s fine,” Tom quickly reassures, already moving towards Alice’s room. “Just go sit down and relax. I’ll be back in a sec…”

Tom comes back five minutes later, carrying a tired four-year-old out into the living room. Alice’s light brown hair is a mess and she’s rubbing at her eyes, clutching a battered looking teddy in her hand when Tom sets her on the ground.

The second her baby blue eyes fall on Jensen, they widen in excitement and every trace of weariness vanishes from her face.

“Uncle Jen!” the girl squeals happily, rushing forward and Jensen feels a sudden warmth blossoming in his chest.

He catches her around the waist and props her up on his hip. “Hey there, princess! What are you doing up?”

“I heard your voice and papa said I could come say hello.”

“Awww, sweetheart I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“It’s okay, I wasn’t sleepy anymore anyway…” Alice explains, rubbing her nose against his neck and wrinkling her forehead when she notices something different about his scent.

“You smell different, uncle Jensen… are you heated?”

Jensen can’t help but laugh at her unabashed question and use of grammar, but Tom sends his daughter a look of disapproval. 

“ _Alice_ …” he says in a stern voice, ready to reprimand her, but Jensen holds up his hand to stop him, knowing she didn’t mean to be rude. 

“No puppy, I- I’m not in heat, why would you think that?“

“Papa said that omegas smell different when they’re having their heat or when they are getting babies. Are you pregnant, uncle Jensen?” she goes on with open curiosity in his voice and Jensen finds himself swallowing around the sudden lump in his throat, the words hitting him harder this time.

“Alice! That’s enough now c’mon,” Tom says harshly, causing Alice to flinch in Jensen’s grasp.

He makes a move to take Alice from his hold, but Jensen stops him once more, not letting go of the little girl in his arms.“It’s okay, Tommy. She’s just curious.”

“It’s not polite to ask such questions,” Tom scolds with a pointed glower, looking exasperated by his daughter’s behavior, almost as if this wasn’t the first time she’d asked someone awkward questions. “I think it’s time for you to go back to bed, young lady.“

“No, wait. At least let me explain it to her,” Jensen insists, genuinely believing that it was good for young children to outright ask for the things they were curious about. After all, Jensen was kind of used to it, working in the day care and having to deal with kids all the time.

“You know how your Daddy and Papa love each other very much? Well, it’s the same for your uncle Jared and me… we- we got mated last week and that’s why I smell different. It’s his scent- only mingled with mine.”

“You mated uncle Jay? Does that mean you’re pack alpha too?” Alice’s eyes widen in child-like astonishment and it’s clear from the excited sparkle in them that she thinks Jensen has won the lottery or something.

Jensen laughs at her enthusiasm. “Uncle Jay isn’t pack alpha quite yet, Ally-beans, but yeah- when the time is right I’ll rule this pack by his side.”

“Wow…” she whispers, completely in awe by the revelation and that’s when Tom decides that she’s heard enough, taking a step forward to gently lift her from Jensen’s hold.

“Yeah. We got some real royalty sitting in our living room, kiddo. How about you give your majesty a good night kiss before you go back to bed?”

“But I’m not tired yet…" she protests with a pouty whine. "And uncle Jen—“ 

“Uncle Jen and your Papa need to discuss some things in private,“ Tom cuts her off, but Jensen’s heart clenches at the prospect of the little girl leaving again so soon.

He can’t exactly say why, but her presence calms him on an almost primal level, taking his mind off the fact that his mate was out there looking for Brock’s murderer and potentially getting himself in trouble.

“She can sleep here if you don’t mind.”

The words are out of his mouth before he makes a conscious decision to say them and the damage is done.

“Yayy! Can I, Papa?! Can I?? _Plea-ase_?” Alice starts wriggling excitedly in her Papa’s grasp, making grabby motions with her tiny hands and Tom shoots Jensen a deathly glare over her shoulder.

“Fine… but just this once. This won’t become a habit, you hear me?” Tom gives in with a sigh and settles down beside Jensen on the couch, watching her scramble excitedly over into Jensen’s lap and curl up against the omega’s chest.

Jensen smiles innocently over at Tom, fingers fanned out protectively against her spine.

Alice’s breathing evens out a few minutes later, her fingers clutching Jensen’s shirt and her ear pressed against the warm skin over his chest, lulled to sleep by the rhythmic beat of his heart.

“…So?” Tom asks after a beat of silence, watching his friend and his daughter with a warm smile playing his lips.

“So what?” Jensen asks, frowning.

“So are you gonna show it to me?”

Jensen rolls his eyes. “You’re not gonna let it go before I do, are you?”

“Nope…” Tom gleefully shakes his head.

"Alright, I'll show you... just- don't freak out okay?" Jensen gives in with a sigh, cradling Alice with one hand and moving to pull his shirt away from the wound on his neck with his free one.

Jensen regrets showing Tom the second his friend gasps out in shock at the sight. “Oh. My. God. He’s a fucking berserk—I knew it!”   
  
Jensen brings a hand up to his neck defensively and glares at the other man when Alice squirms a little in his arms. “Shhh—Not so loud! You’re gonna wake her up.”

Tom reaches out to tenderly prod at the marked up skin with his fingers, eyes still wide with shock. “Jesus Christ, Jen… it looks brutal. Did you put some ointment on it or something? Does it hurt?”

There’s honest worry in his friend’s tone as he inspects the wound, but Jensen doesn’t share his concern.“It’s fine. He reopened it, that’s why it looks so—“

“He reopened it?! After only just a week? Why would he do that?”

Jensen looks away, quietly contemplating how much he could tell his friend.

“Jen? What happened?” Tom presses, instantly noticing that there was more to Jared reopening the claiming bite than Jensen let on.

After another beat of silence, Jensen lets out a long breath, taking another sip from his beer and leaning back against the cushions of the couch.

"David. He dropped by the daycare yesterday… pushed me up against the wall—“

“Oh god—“ Tom looks shaken by the news, tensing up in his spot next to him and Jensen is quick to comfort him, knowing his friend would only end up assuming the worst. “Nothing happened. I put him in his place. But Jared… he didn’t take the news so well- got all alpha male on my ass.”

“Fuck, Jen… are you okay?” Tom asks, sounding worried.

“Yeah, he can get a little possessive sometimes, but I’m fine. It was kinda hot, actually…”

Tom swats him lightly up the back of his head. “Don’t be stupid. I meant David—did he say anything to you? Did he touch you?”

Jensen shudders at the memory- feels David’s breath against his skin, can smell his cologne in the air as he closes his eyes in exhaustion. 

“No. Just the usual stuff. About how my genes are soiled and how I’m impurifying  a meticulous blood line,” he snorts, feeling silly repeating the alpha’s hateful words, because how could anybody say something like this and honestly believe that it was true?

Tom swallows hard. “Jen, I’m so sorry… to think that I ever treated you the way I did when you first joined the pack—I feel so stupid for that now.”

“Oh c’mon Tommy, that was ages ago… you were a kid back then. You didn’t know it any better,” Jensen tries to reassure, not having intended for his friend to feel guilty by telling him what had happened with David the day before.

“That’s no excuse. I just… I still feel like a jerk for that. You were just a kid too and I made you feel like you were unwanted- like something was wrong with you, just because your wolf isn't black like the rest of us—“

“It’s okay. You came around, Tom. And that’s all that matters to me,” Jensen gives back easily, having forgiven Tom for his behavior a long time ago and not wanting to have this issue standing between them any longer.

He then pulls his phone from his jeans pocket and presses the camera icon, shifting Alice’s sleeping body a little higher on his chest.

“Maybe you’re right...” Tom sighs and then frowns when Jensen prepares to take a selfie. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Showing our husbands what they’re missing out on. Think we should make out?” Jensen winks at him and leans over to get Tom on the picture as well.

Tom snorts at the suggestion, putting on a grin for the camera nonetheless. “Somehow I think Jared wouldn’t take too kindly to us making out…”

“You are no fun, you know that?” Jensen laughs and takes the picture.

 

  
“So David ambushed him?” Mike repeats angrily, his natural alpha-possessiveness coming out after hearing about how Jensen got cornered by the expulsed alpha the night before.

Jared doesn’t take offense in his friend’s protective anger, knowing that any alpha would feel the urge to eliminate any threat towards one of the pack’s omegas.

“Yeah…” Jared gives back, swallowing his own bout of anger down with a swig of beer and slamming the glass back down onto the counter of the bar.

They have decided to stop at a small, cozy Inn to get fortified with a hearty lunch before continuing the exhausting hike to the Blood Pack wolves who lived at the other end of Blackwood Forest.

“Did you hurt him?” Mike asks after a brief pause, watching Jared’s every move and trying to read the answer in his friend’s fierce gaze.

“No,” Jared lets out a sigh, ordering another drink. “I promised Jensen not to do anything rash.”

“Rash?” Mike exclaims disbelievingly. “Dude, that bastard was sniffing around your mate! Aren’t you gonna do something about it—I mean what if he catches Jen unaware the next time? What if Chris isn’t there to protect him?“

“Don’t you think I know that?” Jared snarls, shooting his friend an angry glower and shutting him up effectively. “I’m not gonna let the bastard come close him again, alright? He even so much as looks at Jensen again and I’ll snap his goddamn’ neck. But for now I’ll let the tribunal decide. Jeff promised me to take care of it in my absence…”

Mike snorts, shaking his head and Jared bristles with anger at the other alpha’s attitude.

“Something you got to say to me, Mike?” he growls in a low and threatening voice, earning himself a few concerned glances from the other patrons in the bar.

Mike holds his glower with unabashed defiance, not afraid of the imposing alpha in front of him.  
  
„I just can’t believe you’d let your father deal with something so personal. If anybody ever did to Tom what David did to Jensen I’d have ripped his beating heart right out of his chest.”

“And gotten yourself executed for killing another wolf in the process? You know that’s against the pack rules, Mike!”

“Not if you were protecting yourself or another wolf—“

“But that’s the fucking problem. David hasn’t hurt anybody yet, he can’t be penalized for something he hasn’t done yet.”

“So what, you’re just gonna wait until he rapes—“ Michael’s cut off when Jared slams his flat palm against the table, silencing him with a warning death glare, whole body tense and teeth fletched threateningly.

The message is clear: _You’ve overstepped a line._

It seems that the whole fucking bar’s attention is focused on them now, the crowd having noticeably quieted at their angry exchange, the tension in the air cackling with electricity and ready to spark fire.

And that’s when Jared’s phone pipes up, breaking the moment.

Jared blinks, holding Mike’s gaze for just a moment longer, before directing his attention to his phone, heart skipping a beat at Jensen’s name flashing back at him from the screen.

The text message contains a picture of Tom, Jensen and Alice, cuddled up on the couch, Jensen’s eyes sparking with joy as he cradles the little brown-haired girl against his chest and Tom smiling broadly into the camera, protective arm wrapped around his pregnant belly and eyes alight with happiness.

The anger leaves Jared’s body in a rush and he swallows, trying to blink away the unwanted wetness from his eyes.

“Jay?” Mike asks in a shaky voice, looking concerned by Jared’s uncharacteristically emotional reaction. “Everything alright?”

Jared wordlessly slides his phone over and lets out a slow exhale. Mike blinks down at the picture, surprised at what he sees before his features smooth out into a warm smile.

He longingly cradles the phone in his hand before giving it back to Jared. “I’m sorry, man. I shouldn’t have tried to patronize you—“

“No, I’m the one that’s sorry. You were only being honest with me—“

Mike shakes his head, snorting at their hotheadedness. “I didn’t mean to question your decisions, Jared. I’m sure you know what’s best for your family, but when it comes to Jensen and Tom I get irrational—“

“I know the feeling,” Jared sighs, smiling down at the picture once more. Jensen has only written a couple of words beneath the photo, but it's enough to warm his heart.

 

_‘Guess who’s having a sleepover? Miss you, be careful.’_

 

“C’mon,” Jared throws a couple of bills onto the counter and gets up from his seat, clapping a palm against Mike’s shoulder. “We should get going if we want to arrive before sunset.”

As soon as the door slams closed behind them, Jared starts shifting, breaking out into a run, Mike close on his heels.

They have something to take care and they need to get it over with quickly if they want to get back to their families.

The thought spurs Jared on even more and he lets his wolf take over, feeling the strength of his ancestors’ propel him forward, adrenaline pumping through his veins, wind ruffling his black fur as they chase towards the horizon.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayy hope you liked the update!! :D Who is still up for more? Please drop me a note to tell me how you liked the update!! I'd love to get your insights ;) Cheers!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I created some art for this fic and I really hope you like it :D I'm completely new to this whole thing- both story-wise and concerning the art so this is all very exciting haha... I couldn't finish this chapter in one sitting, so there's a cut in the middle, but I'll try to update soon :) Enjoy!

 

 

„Uncle Jen!“ Jensen lets out a shocked _‘omph’_ when Alice jumps on his chest to wake him up, knocking the wind from his lungs in one swoop.

Her squeal of excitement sends his ears ringing and he groans, trying to hide from the world by burying himself beneath his blanket.

He’s never been a morning person to begin with- but having to deal with a hyper energetic four-year-old so early in the morning is definitely more than he can stomach.

“Daddy said you have to get up, it’s already light outside,” Alice says cheerfully and Jensen lifts a heavy arm when she climbs beneath the blanket and snuggles up close to him beneath the duvet.

“Just a few more minutes, kiddo…” he mumbles tiredly into her soft auburn curls, hugging her small body close to his chest and breathing in the soft smell of baby shampoo that clings to her skin.

He’s already half back to sleep when the covers are suddenly ripped off his body and Jensen finds himself on the receiving end of his best friend’s glower. “Get your ass into gear, Jensen. It’s already half past seven and we need to get going if you don’t want your in-laws to kick your ass.”

“You said a bad word, daddy! ” Alice’s hands fly up to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and Jensen can't help but chuckle at her reaction.

“Yeah, yeah laugh it up, Jen... We'll see if you still find it funny when I teach _your_  kids their first swear words…” Tom grumbles with fake annoyance, before reaching over to tickle his daughter and sending her into a fit of uncontrolled laughter.

Alice cries for him to stop, squirming around on the couch next to Jensen and scrambling up into his lap to try and evade her father’s searching fingers.

“Do something uncle Jen! You’ve got to help me!” she laughs and Jensen figures it’s already too late to go back to sleep for him anyways- so he lunges forward, knocking Tom back against the floor in a flurry of motion. 

He’s careful as not to be too vicious with his attack, making sure Tom’s fall is cushioned by the thick Persian carpet that’s spread across the floor as well as the blanket his best friend has so cruelly bereft him of earlier.   

“Quick, Allie, I’ll hold him down—“ Jensen grins, holding Tom’s arms stretched above his head as he sits on top of his chest, holding him captive. Alice squeals with joy, bouncing happily onto her father’s chest as she tries to mimic his earlier tickle attack with her tiny fingers.

Tom’s laughing-probably more from shock and his daughter’s amusement than the actual tickling. 

“So you’re gonna team up against me now, is that it?” Tom snatches his daughter around the waist and  blows a sloppy raspberry against her flushed cheek in revenge. 

“Betrayed by my own flesh and blood daughter? You break my heart, Allie."

Alice is clutching at her tummy, her tiny frame shaking with the force of her hitched breaths of laughter and Tom meets Jensen’s gaze over her shoulder, his own happiness etched plainly across his features.

Jensen slowly straightens up from the ground, reaching out to help Tom up and steadying his friend when he sways a little. “Y’alright?”

“Yeah… stupid hormones,” Tom grouches, closing his eyes for a moment to fight the bout of dizziness he's overcome with from moving too quickly.

“It's my fault. I shouldn’t have pushed you—“ Jensen starts, but Tom doesn't let him go any further than that.

“Jen, stop it. I’m alright. Got my were genes to protect me, remember?” he says, nudging Jensen’s shoulder. “Besides, something tells me that the little whirlwind enjoyed the action.”

Jensen bites his lower lip, watching guiltily as Tom rubs a soothing hand over his stomach.

Omega’s are designed to carry pups. Their whole body functions are directed towards protecting the children they are carrying and keeping them healthy.

Similarly to the accelerated healing process any werewolf has, omegas usually don’t have to worry about losing their child during pregnancy like humans do.

They can even shift and go on sprints through the woods up until the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy without having to be concerned about harming their unborn pup because it’s their nature to do so.

A little roughhousing is nothing to a pregnant omega. Jensen knows all that, but he still can’t help but feel guilty for having been so careless with his friend when he was carrying new life inside him.

“Here,” Tom’s voice cuts through his thoughts when he shoves a steaming mug of coffee into his hands. “Drink some of this… I’ll get Alice ready for the funeral. You can have a shower if you want, there’s still enough time.”

Jensen swallows.

He almost forgot about Brock’s funeral.

With a heavy sigh, he gulps down his coffee and starts towards the bathroom.

No sense delaying the inevitable.

The atmosphere and overall mood of the funeral are gloomy- as was to be expected.

The whole pack has gathered to take leave of Brock and Jensen can practically feel the community prickle with tension and fear over the cruel act of violence that had cost the young omega his life.

Funerals aren’t really a common occurrence in their circles- given the healing abilities and extended lifespan of a werewolf, which makes it even harder to watch Brock’s lifeless body burn to ashes on the traditional wooden pire, his last remains going up in flames as his soul being carried on into the afterlife.

Alice starts crying at some point and a few other wolves chime in, joining Brock’s family members and his boyfriend as they quietly wipe at the incessant stream of tears that roll down their cheeks.

Jensen feels his own throat burning, eyes bright and shiny as he watches the flames climb higher through a blurred veil of tears.

He’s in his wolf form, sun blazing on his pristine white fur, causing it to shimmer slightly in the hot midday sun. 

He wishes Jared would be here to give him support.

Jensen tenses when Jeffrey takes up his spot on the pedestal before the burning pire and starts his speech.

“No words will ever be able to express the pain I feel over the loss of Brock as a valued member of this pack. This young wolf has never done anything but bring joy to the people around him and in the aftereffect of the unspeakable horrors that cost Brock his life, I’d like to give my condolences to his family and the man I’m sure he would have mated if given the chance—“ Jeffrey pauses, sending Brock’s former boyfriend a sorrowful look full of regret.

Jensen finds himself blinking rapidly when the young alpha breaks down in front of the crowd, shaking with heart-broken sobs at the loss of his lover and future mate.

He shudders involuntarily at the thought of what it must feel like to be in the alpha’s place right now- to be faced with the heart-shattering pain of losing the love of your life and being unable to do anything against it.

His heart goes out for the grieving wolf and not for the first time today, Jensen wishes for Jared to be here to comfort him.

Jeffrey thanks everyone for coming and they end the ceremony by lighting up candles and lanterns and releasing them into the blue, cloudless sky above their heads.

Jensen moves to leave, ready to talk to Jeffrey about the outcomes of the trials from the night before, when a young pup suddenly bumps into his side, causing his step to falter.

“Hey there, kiddo,” Jensen softly speaks, leaning down to help the black bundle of fur back up onto its feet. “You okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

It takes a second for Jensen to recognize the familiar blue eyes he’s staring into but by then it’s already too late.

“Simon! I told you to watch your fucking feet, you worthless little brat,” David’s angry voice cuts through the air, landing like a whip on Jensen’s skin.

“I-I’m s-sorry—“ Simon whispers timidly and Jensen frowns, deeply concerned by the withdrawn posture and demure tone of the kid.

There’s no trace of the boisterous happiness and curiosity Jensen sees whenever he looks into Alice’s eyes- or into any other pair of eyes from the pups in his daycare.

The only thing Jensen can see when he looks down Simon’s eyes is fear.

“It’s okay, buddy,” Jensen tries to reassure, smiling down at the pup. “No harm done, right?”

“Nobody asked you for your opinion…” David spits out, causing Jensen’s hackles to rise in indignation.

“Well too bad, cause I don’t need your permission to voice it,” Jensen gives back, always quick at the repartee.

He crouches down before the pup, trying to get them both on eye-level, but Simon is purposefully avoiding his gaze- almost as if he’s afraid to face him. “Hey, kiddo, remember me? It’s Jensen…”

“Save your breath, Snow. He won’t talk to you… not anymore.”

“What the hell do you mean?” Jensen bristles with anger, not liking the implication behind David’s words. “What did you tell him, David?”

“D-daddy said—“ Simon starts in a small voice, but David cuts him off again with a clipped “Shut up!”

The cup shrinks back from his father’s tone and nearly topples over when David carelessly jerks him back by the gruff of his neck. It's the last fucking straw.

“You _fucking bastard_ —“ Jensen’s patience snaps and he lunges forward, throwing David off balance and knocking them both to the ground.

With a vicious snarl, Jensen seizes the black alpha wolf by the neck, clamping his teeth down threateningly, using the alpha’s momentary distractedness to his advantage.

But the other wolf recovers quickly, kicking Jensen in the stomach with his muscular hind legs and Jensen yelps in pain when he’s being hit in the kidneys.

Before he can recover from the blow and pounce David in another attack, strong arms wind themselves around him, holding him tight. “That’s enough- stop it _right now_ , that’s a fucking order.”

Jeffrey’s voice cuts through the veil of red that clouds Jensen’s vision and he’s breathing heavily, instantly calming his struggles at the commanding tone in the pack alpha’s tone.

“Shift! Both of you,” Jeff sneers and it’s only then that Jensen notices the crowd of people that have gathered around them- watching the scene unfold with equal parts of shock and horror.

He shifts back into his human form, well aware of the fact that he was naked and exposed right there in front of the eyes of their pack members.

It doesn’t really matter to him.

After all, it isn’t exactly uncommon for them to see each other naked- with the constant form-shifting they have become used to not always having clothes around.

And Jensen wouldn’t mind if it was just the pack seeing him but he nearly throws up in disgust at the way David’s appreciative gaze trails up and down his naked body.

Jensen can feel Jeffrey’s pulsing race against his spine from where the alpha is pressed up against him, can feel the older man’s hot pants of air in his neck as he tries to catch his breath.

After a tense second or two, Jeff finally lets go off him, convinced that Jensen won’t try to attack the alpha again. 

“What the hell are you thinking- starting a fight in the middle of a sacred pack ritual! Do you even realize how disrespectful this is to Brock and his family?!”

“You should be ashamed of yourselves,“ Sam agrees with her mate, sending Jensen a motherly scowl of disapproval and picking Simon up from the ground to let him snuggle against her chest.

“He called his son a _‘worthless’ brat,_ ” Jensen points out, nostrils flaring as he meets David’s fiery gaze over the distance. “He fucking manhandled him- Jeff, you can’t just let that slide! Simon’s just a little kid, for god’s sake- he can't protect himself.”

Simon whimpers a little, sounding lost and afraid as he buries his tiny snout in Sam’s neck.

“Is that true?” Jeffrey demands in a low growl, eyes narrowing threateningly.

“I can call my son whatever I goddamn’ well please, _Morgan_ ,” David snaps, eliciting a few shocked gasps from the crowd.

“Oh hell no, you can’t you fucking bastard,” Chris chimes in from the side, still in his wolf form and quickly losing his temper. His teeth are fletched and his claws are digging into the muddy patch of soil beneath him. “You don’t deserve to call yourself a father if you treat your own kid that way.”

“And stop leering at Jensen while we’re at it,” Tom growls protectively, Alice propped up on his hip as he takes up a supportive stance beside Jensen. “He’s mated in case you haven’t noticed…”

“Oh, I’ve noticed alright… not like that’s something you can easily miss with the way Jared marked him up. But you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?” David snorts in disgust at the sight of Tom’s rounded belly. “Knocked up like the good little omega bitch you are. At least Mike knows that the only thing you’ll ever be good for is—“

“Finish that sentence and you’ll be dead before you hit the ground, Boreanaz.”

Jensen’s breath catches in his throat at the sharpness of Jeff’s tone when he interjects the rogue alpha’s words.

“Touchy subject, Jeff? I’m sure you don’t want to disrespect Brock or his family by getting into another fight, right?” David teases with a lopsided grin on his face. He doesn't get any further when Jeff lunges forward, pressing a bulky arm against the rogue alpha's throat and pinning him against a tree.

“Listen up you sonofabitch, cause I’m only going to say this once,” Jeff hisses into his face, well aware of the dozens of eyes that are trained on him, ready to back him up in a fight if necessary. “I let you back into this pack, ignoring _everything_ that you’ve done because your son deserves a stable environment to grow up in. But if I ever- and I mean EVER- see you treat your own child with anything less than parental affection- or if I have reason to believe you’d ever hurt him, I will personally break your neck, you understand me?”

“You can’t be serious!” Jensen protests, eyes wide with disbelief as he processes his adoptive father’s words. “ _If you have reason to believe?_ He already fucking shoved him around- he called him _‘worthless’_ —Simon’s afraid of him and all you’re gonna do is give him another warning? What more reason do you need to be convinced that he's a terrible father?!"

"Mind your tone, boy," Jeffrey growls low in his throat and Jensen swallows at the warning glower the alpha shoots him from the corner of his eyes. "I won't take this- not even from you."

Jensen balls his hands into fists, frustrated with Jeff's stubbornness.

“Jensen honey, let’s talk about this at home alright?” Sam tries to calm him down, resting a comforting palm on his shoulder, but Jensen shrugs her hand off, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“No! Don't you see the parallel here? I mean are we all just going to ignore the fact that David’s arrival and Brock’s death pretty much happened at the same time?”

“So what- I’m a killer now?” David challenges with a raised eyebrow, looking somewhat amused by the suggestion and Jensen feels his fingers twitch in anticipation- wants nothing more than to wipe the smug look from that self-satisfied asshole’s face.

“How can that be true when I spent the day in custody, huh? I had that idiot Kane hanging around my fucking neck for the better part of the day so how exactly should I’ve been able to kill Brock without him noticing it?”

Jensen seeks out Chris’ gaze, trying to figure out whether the words are true and his heart sinks when the core alpha confirms the claim with a curt nod. “He’s right… I didn’t leave his side all day after he ambushed you in the office.”

“But that can’t be true! He must have found a way! What did the council say?” Jensen demands in a sharp tone, not wanting to delay his talk with Jeffrey for even just a second longer. He needs to know what the tribunal decided- needs to know if they’ve found out anything about Brock’s death- about his killer.

But once more, Samantha interferes. “Jensen Ross Padalecki, we are NOT going to discuss the details of the trials in front of a recently deceased pack member’s friends and family, you hear me?”

She sets Simon back on the ground and reluctantly nudges him back towards his flesh and blood father.

“Yeah, JR, do what mommy dearest tells you,“ David quips as he wraps his meaty fingers around his son’s arm and tugs him forward. Simon stumbles over his own short legs from the unexpected movement and Jensen nearly loses his shit all over again at the sight.

He gives a small start forward, ready to attack once more but Jeffrey stops his advance with a flat palm against his chest. 

“Heed my fucking words, David,“ Jeff snarls at the alpha, stabbing his index finger warningly into the other man’s chest. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from Jensen, too. Because if Jared ever sees you within a two miles radius from his mate again, _I’ll_ be the least of your worries, you understand?”

“Crystal,” David gives back easily, looking for all intents and purposes as if he couldn’t be bothered less by Jeffrey’s words.

Jensen looks after the retreating forms of the alpha and his son- watching Simon stumble a few more times as he tries to hold up with his father’s too quick footsteps.

“I’m so terribly sorry for the inconveniences, Nancy—“ Jeffrey apologizes to Brock’s mother and it’s only then that Jensen can rip himself away from the sight of the retreating alpha and his son.

“C’mon, let’s get you out of here, I think we need to talk…” Sam says, gently nudging his shoulder in a prompt to get him moving.

 

 

The sun has almost gone done by the time Jared and Mike arrive at the pride lands of the Blood Pack- a relatively strong pack with a deadly reputation, known for their immaculate bloodline and their radical and outdated views on race laws.

Jared has been here a couple of times already- for pack reunions and various kinds of wolf rituals but he has always been repelled by this particular pack- not liking their beliefs and traditions and downright hating way they treated their omegas.

The blood pact is strong in numbers, counting over a hundred wolves and the scary thing is that almost all of them are alphas. Jeffrey had once explained to him that it was because of the pack’s obsolete viewpoints that they didn’t like to have too many omegas in their pack, thinking of them to be worthless and only good for reproduction.

Another thing Jared doesn’t like about them is the fact that they have a tradition where newly inaugurated wolves must cut themselves with silver when joining their pack. They put salt in the wound afterwards so that it won’t heal as easily and leaves a nasty scar in the process to show pack loyalty.

Hence also the name- blood pack. 

If a new pup is born, the same ritual is performed- regardless of the fact that they are essentially hurting vulnerable children who couldn’t defend themselves even if they wanted to.

It’s savagery and Jared skin crawls with disgust every time he sees one of their kind with vicious scars marking up their faces or arms.

He doesn’t like the idea of forcing pack members to prove their fidelity in such a radical way.

Either a wolf is loyal, or he isn’t. But there’s no way to blackmail somebody into compliance if their heart isn’t in the game.

“And who do we have here?” a deep voice sounds through the air as they pass the gates of the pack grounds and Jared freezes in place, turning into the direction the words had come from.

“If it isn’t Jared Padalecki and one of his most loyal lapdogs…”

A tawny gold-brown wolf with eyes as bright as the moon is grinning down at them from a suspension bridge that connects the tree crowns above their heads.

The pack alpha.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Jared?” Luther smirks down at them, eyes glinting predatorily.

Jared swallows, hackles rising at the other alpha’s self-assured demeanor.

“I’m afraid it’s less of a pleasure than you might think.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know it's a pretty slow build-up and there's still a lot of plotholes, but we're getting there... Next chapter will deal with the blood pack and further introduce Luther as a character. Oh and Jensen is let in on a shocking reveal concerning David... I would really appreciate it if you'd drop me a few words about how you liked the new chapter. It means a lot to me to get your insights on the story.Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Finally the update is ready. I am so sorry for the delay- I just moved to a city at the other end of the world and I was terribly jet-lagged and needed to get settled. Some explicit descriptions in this chapter. Please heed the warnings. Enjoy!

 

 

The thing about Luther is that he’s an asshole.

Jared knows that without a single doubt in his mind.

The guy is an arrogant, egoistic bastard with too much self-confidence and way too much power.

But there’s just something about his character- something Jared has never been quite able to put his finger on- that is undeniably fascinating. 

Jared likes to think it’s his human appearance, all broad-shouldered, personified elegance with silken blond hair that cascades over his shoulders like the waves of a waterfall.

His cheek bones are poking out beneath the pale complexion of his skin, pronouncing the angular cut of his features and he’s always got this charming smile on his lips.

And then there are the scars, of course, jagged and discolored, spreading across Luther’s eyelid and most of his right cheek like tiny bolts of lightning.

Jared imagines that people might be revolted by the sight but Luther wears his scars with so much confidence that he finds himself unbothered by them. 

He honestly doesn’t care if the pack alpha feels the need to maim himself, but what he _does_ care about is the fact that the crazy bastard thinks it is okay to do the same to the rest of his pack- including _pups_.

Now that’s where he draws the line.

It is savagery, plain and simple.

And Jared can’t really get over that fact even when he’s being cordially invited to stay for dinner and led to the pack alpha’s splendid office on top of the highest tree crown in the forest.

“So?” the pack alpha flicks his golden zippo and languidly sucks on the butt of his cigarette, lighting it up in the dim shine of his office, eyes glinting predatorily over to where Jared is sitting.

“What news could be terrible enough for the glorious Jared Padalecki to seek out the presence of my humble self?”

His deep voice is practically dripping honey and Jared isn't fooled by the saccharine tone for one second.

Discomfort, hot and urgent, claws at his insides as he fidgets around in his seat, trying to swallow down the snappy response that's on the tip of his tongue.

He suddenly wishes he hadn’t told Mike to wait outside- that he hadn’t asked Luther for a private conversation because this wolf was sending out such strong negative vibes that it made his skin crawl with the urge to attack. 

Mike is the more level-headed of the two of them, always making him contemplate his actions and their possible consequences instead of doing something rash.

Without his cool demeanor to ground him, Jared feels himself quickly losing his patience.

“Don’t put yourself down on my account, Luther. It’s not your style.”

“I see your manners haven’t improved much since the last time I saw you,” Luther chuckles, shrugging the offense off as he pours Jared and himself a glass of Whiskey. 

“So are you going to let me in on the reason for your visit or do you want me to guess?”

Jared’s eyes narrow, his features grimacing with barely disguised anger.

“One of our omegas was brutally murdered last night,” he says matter-of-factly, shoulders squared and whole posture rigid as he gauges Luther’s reaction to the words, tries to detect even just the slightest flicker of emotion in the other wolf’s gaze.

"We found him in the woods... practically ripped to shreds."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Luther says, keeping his expression carefully neutral and not giving anything away as he slides the glass of Whiskey across his wooden oak table towards Jared’s chest.

He doesn't sound sorry at all.

“I assume you believe my pack has something to do with that unfortunate occurrence?” the pack alpha smiles, pearly white teeth glinting from behind stretched lips.

Jared leans slightly forward in his seat.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve had something to do with it, Luther. Only question is why and how.”

The fake smile slowly fades from Luther’s lips and Jared sees a spark of white, hot anger settle on his skin when the long-haired man looks at him.

“Don’t you think it’s a little reckless to come here, into my pack- _into my house_ and insult me like this? Your father and I have an agreement- a peace treaty signed in blood. It’s non-negotiable.”

“I know about the treaty,” Jared spits out coldly, getting up from his seat to lean over Luther’s wooden desk, muscular arms propped up against the oak surface as he towers over the other man- using his height and bulkiness to his advantage. "But apparently it didn't keep you from going after Brock.”

Luther holds Jared’s fiery gaze as he stabs his cigarette out against the table.

“You are lucky I respect your father, Jared. Or else you wouldn’t leave my grounds breathing after what you just implied.”

Jared huffs, looking down at the scar-faced pack alpha with disdain.

_Okay, screw patience._

“Drop the fucking act, Luther! Do you really think I’m buying the shit you’re trying to sell me here? You **_loathe_** my father. You’d gladly snap his neck if given the chance and you’d do the same to me. The only reason you haven’t done it yet is because my pack would come after you if you tried and not because of some stupid treaty."

“It seems you have made up your mind on this, what more is there for me to say?” Luther replies in a calm voice, not rising up to the bait.

“You’re not even going to defend yourself are you?” Jared sneers, fingers twitching at his sides and jaw locked tight enough to hurt. “So what- you got tired of beating your own omegas around? Needed a little alternation in who you could degrade and mutilate next, is that it?”

There is a sharp undertone to his words, but Luther seems unbothered by it.

“See, Jared,” he sighs, bored by the other man's rising anger. “I don’t expect your small-minded brain to understand this, but there is a difference between hating omegas and knowing their worth. The Greek letter _‘Omega’_ comes last in the alphabet for a reason. They are the weak links in a robust chain- the less of them you have, the stronger you ultimately are. One might even say whoever killed your precious omega wolf did you a favor...”

“That's bullshit!” Jared slams his hand down on the tabletop so hard the whole desk is rattling from the force of it.

He’s bristling, nostrils flaring and heart beating wildly in his chest, every muscle flexed and ready to snap forward.

“They are givers of life. Their caring nature is the equivalence to an alpha’s fiery character- without them we would be _nothing_. It’s our duty to protect them and not to use their physical weakness in our favor.”

"Well that was a lovely speech," Luther chuckles, lighting another cigarette and taking a deep drag. “But one fact remains the same: they are designed to be subservient. They are our dominions by biology, unable to defy an order or go against their sexual lasciviousness even if they wanted to. And that makes them practically useless. Take your mate for example, congratulations by the way—“

Jared doesn’t know how Luther found out about his mating- too much time has passed since the last time they saw each other for the alpha to have noticed the slight change of his scent.

But what he _does_ know is that the bastard’s just crossed a line by mentioning Jensen.

His inner wolf is surging up to new life inside of him, growling possessively at the mere thought of Luther even just _knowing_ about Jensen- much less speaking about his mate.“You don’t talk about him, **_ever_** , Luther, you fucking understand me?!" 

“So fierce,” Luther grins with a soft shake of his head, exhaling a cloud of smoke and momentarily disappearing behind a veil of gray swirls. “He must be special if you are that protective of him.Tell me, Jared, how much does he mean to you?”

Jared blinks, taken aback by the question.

“He’s my _mate_ ,” he answers simply as if that one word could somehow encompass the depth and extent of everything that Jensen means to him.

It’s not exactly like he can put a price tag on half of his soul. 

“He’s **_everything_** to me.”

“And see,” Luther starts, pointing a finger towards Jared. “That right there is what condemns you. Love will be your ultimate downfall if you expose yourself to it. It’s like an all-consuming disease that takes hold of your body and infects all your cells.”

“If you really believe that, I feel sorry for you,” Jared hisses, unable to comprehend how anyone could think so lowly about the one thing that made life worth living.

It is true- in a way he supposes love can really make you vulnerable, but Jared would rather take that risk than to live a life without Jensen. His mate is the part that completes him and he wouldn’t want to miss that for anything.

“Well, I gotta give it to you, Jared, omegas do come with certain _perks_ ,” Luther says, eyes glinting with mischief when he takes a sip from his Whiskey and hums blissfully around the edge of the glass. 

Jared’s teeth grind together and his fingers clench into fists by his side, ready to rearrange that smug bastard’s face for his disrespectful words.

“I can't hold it against you that you wanted one for yourself- especially not with the way they get when they're in heat,” Luther clamps the cigarette between thin lips and claps his hands a few times, causing the door to the office to open and a guy in his early twenties to emerge in the doorway.

The young man is gorgeous— tall, lithe body bulked up with clearly defined muscle beneath tan skin, thick auburn hair and exotically shaped eyes in a startling shade of blue.

Jared does a double take on him, mouth going a little slack as he stares.

He honestly hasn’t had eyes for anyone else but Jensen ever since they got together in their teens (and secretively even before that), but even so he can still appreciate a good-looking body when he sees one.

“Close the door,” Luther commands, waving the young man inside and the boy complies easily, eyes downcast and long black lashes fanned out against rosy cheeks.

_Omega._

Jared knows it even before he’s hit with the wave of pheromones that emanate from the boy’s skin when he moves closer to the desk, dutifully sinking to his knees beside the chair Luther’s sitting in.

The intoxicatingly sweet scent is nearly bringing Jared to his knees and he has to squeeze his eyes shut for a second, heat pooling in his belly and cock stirring in his jeans.

He feels disgusted with his body’s reaction- knows he shouldn’t feel attracted to anyone but Jensen- knows he **_doesn’t_ ** feel attracted to anybody but his mate- but the wave of lust and need and desperation that hits him when the boy’s emotions transfer through their wolves’ bond would drive any hot-blooded young alpha male to lose his composure.

“What are you doing? “ Jared’s stomach cramps with panic at the sight of the boy sinking to his knees- the kid can’t be older than what- sixteen, seventeen?

He shouldn’t be out here when he’s in heat and he most certainly shouldn’t be mouthing at Luther’s crotch the way he is- shouldn’t drag the other man’s zipper open with his teeth like he has done this millions of times before.

Jared wants to hurl at the sight but his eyes are glued to the spot and he just can’t get himself to look away.

“You never gotten a blowjob before, Jared? You look like you’re seeing this for the first time.”

“He’s not your mate! Hell, the kid probably isn’t even off age yet- what's _wrong_ with you?!”

“There are no matings in my pack, Jared, all we do is take and give. The few omegas we have will service all of us.”

_Service._

Jared cringes at the word, feeling anger flare up in the pit of his stomach at the degrading expression. “You mean you are using them as you please… against their will?”

His hackles are rising, teeth clenched together tight enough to snap.

“Who says they don’t like it?” Luther smirks, before gently guiding the young omega’s head down towards his rapidly hardening dick.

“You're loving this, aren't you?” Luther asks the young omega and the boy nods shakily, lips shiny with saliva as he sucks the pack alpha’s half-hard length into his mouth. "That's what I thought. Now open wide and be a good little bitch..."

Luther gasps when the omega takes him down, not giving the young man any time to adjust as he tightens his long fingers in the boy’s dark hair and holds him in place to fuck his mouth.

It’s obscene and gruesome and Jared’s can't shake the feeling that that smug bastard is putting on a show for him to make him lose his composure.

It works.

“You’re a fucking sick son of a bitch, you know that?!” Jared snaps, swiping his arms across the table and throwing the items on Luther’s desk to the ground in a flurry of movement. “He’s in heat! He needs to be taken care of- needs to be _mated_! What the hell are you doing, keeping him out here when he’s like this?“

“Oh, he’s taken care of alright, aren’t you sweetheart?” Luther chuckles, patting the boy’s hair  as if praising a dog.

But the omega isn’t cared for in the slightest.

He practically reeks of desperation, whole body shaking from exertion even as he keeps up a steady suction, bared muscles glistening with sweat in the dim lights of the tree crown.

He should be locked somewhere in a room with his mate or at the very least some toys to take the edge off, but instead, Luther is keeping him on his knees like a slave that is forced to pleasure him.

It makes Jared want to jump over there and break Luther’s fucking neck.

Letting his hand slide lower along the boy’s bare and sweat-slick flank, Luther slaps the skin on the boy’s perky ass, eliciting a shocked gasp of pain from the kid and Jared’s vision turns red.

_“You son of a bitch!”_

Without thinking about the possible consequences, Jared lunges, pouncing on Luther as he throws them both to the ground in a heap of flying limbs.

“Here,” Sam shoves a bottle of water into Jensen’s shaking hands and guides him over to an empty chair in their kitchen.

“Sit down and drink something. You are too pale.”

Jensen puts the water aside and rakes his fingers through his hair.

“I’m fine. Now what was that all about?” He looks over at Jeffrey with a demanding glare and narrows his eyes in suspicion. “What happened with the council today, Jeff?”

The alpha sighs and exchanges a long, concerned look with Chris- one of the  most experienced core alphas in their pack and one of Jeffrey’s oldest friends and advisors.

He has apparently been let in on something that Jensen isn’t privy to and it pisses him off. "Okay, would somebody please start explaining to me what's going on?"

“Look, Jensen,” Jeffrey sighs after a short moment, grabbing his own chair from the table and plopping down into it next to him. “I tried to bring up David’s repudiation during the trials… based on what happened back when he first attacked you.”

Jensen chews on his lower lip, averting his gaze when a wave of shame rushes through him.

He feels the sudden urge to cross his arms in front of his chest, but he forces his hands to reside by his side instead, not wanting to show his discomfort.

“It was supposed to help our case, but the council cleared him of all his charges.”

“They _what?_ ” Jensen exclaims, whole body going rigid with tension. “But he assaulted me! How can they acquit him of his charges? There were witnesses, for god’s sake—“

“Jensen, calm down, honey,“ Sam cuts in from aside, gently grasping his upper arm in a gesture that was meant to ground and comfort him. “We know what that bastard did to you. And it’s unforgivable.”

“Then how could he get away so easily?” Jensen protests, voice cracking with disbelief and anger.

Jeffrey meets his gaze over the table. “We believe David has made some connections in the years of his absence. He might have found allies in adversary packs and come back with bad intentions.”

Jensen shudders, feeling overwhelmed by the information.

The thought that the rogue alpha might have come back for revenge hadn’t even crossed his mind until now. He had been naïve enough to actually believe David’s story about having lost his mate and being all alone with the task of raising Simon.

“We believe he might have friends in the council who secretly support him,” Chris goes on, eyes hooded and glimmering with darkness.

“What are they out for?” Jensen knows the answer to his own question before anyone can answer it.

“The pack. They are probably planning an attack as we speak.” Samantha explains with a sigh of her own, rubbing a hand over her tired face.

Jensen feels sick at the words.

“And Brock?” Jensen asks, afraid of the answer.

Jeffrey’s lips twist into a thin, angry line at the mention of the recently deceased omega. “They are killing our omegas… trying to emotionally weaken us before the attack. It’s an ancient war practice and a quite effective one at that.”

Chris has a murderous look on his face when he speaks up. “These fucking cowards don’t even have the balls to attack us up front. They’d rather go after the weakest link in the chain and plunge our alphas into devastating grief over the loss of their mates.”

Jensen swallows and shakes his head in denial. “But Chris- you said it yourself… David couldn’t have killed Brock. You were with him the entire day.”

Jeffrey and Sam exchange a worried look, whole conversations flowing between them without the use of words and Jensen can’t help but feel as if he’s missing something essential.

“What?” he frowns. “What is it?”

Jeff’s mouth falls open, but it takes a moment for the words to roll from his lips. “If David really has something to do with all this, he must have had some kind of accomplice.”

Jensen takes the words in and lets out a slow, shudder of a  breath. “You mean somebody from the pack? Are we talking about a traitor?”

“It’s a possibility…” Jeff answers with a gloomy look on his face, cheek muscle twitching. “But until we know for sure, I would appreciate it if none of you would tell anyone. We can’t cause any more panic in the pack."

“So what happens next?” Jensen pushes, feeling unease blossom in the pit of his stomach at the possible repercussions all of this could have on their pride.

More than ever he wishes for Jared to be here and to support their pack with guidance and strength.

“David will be shadowed 24/7. Until further notice, I will impose a curfew on all omegas of the pack… None of them should roam the grounds unless accompanied by an alpha or beta wolf, who could protect them if necessary. The same goes for cubs and teens… I want them all under surveillance.”

Jensen feels everything inside of him recoil at the alpha’s words. “You can’t be serious!” he exclaims, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. “You can’t just lock us away like that! It’s ridiculous and degrading!”

“Jensen—“

“No, Sam!” Jensen cuts her off sharply, green eyes sparkling with unleashed fury.“I’m not some fragile thing that needs protecting, alright? I can very well walk to work and back again without having some alpha escorting me to the freaking door.”

Jeff shoots up from his seat, squaring his shoulders and jutting out his chin daringly as he towers over Jensen’s form. “I think you’re forgetting who you’re talking to, Jensen. It isn’t your place to disobey me.”

His calm voice is unwavering, but still laced with an undeniable dominance and to his utter shame and horror, Jensen feels his omega nature assert itself to the alpha's commanding voice as he lowered his head in instinctive submission.

“What about Simon?” he asks in a timid voice, not wanting to see the sweet pup in the care of a potential traitor. “Are we just going to leave him in David’s custody?”

“Simon isn’t showing any outward signs of abuse, Jensen,” Samantha gives back in a soft tone, covering the back of Jensen’s hand with her own. “Unless that changes, there’s nothing we can do- especially with the council’s verdict.”

Jensen squeezes his eyes shut in frustration, before hastily getting up from his seat and making a start for the cave’s exit.

“Where are you going?” Jeff calls after him, sounding exasperated.

“Out.”

Jeff jerks his head to the side, motioning for Chris to follow the omega and Samantha crosses her arms in front of her chest as she watches the core alpha jog out after her adoptive son.

“He’s an emotional wreck, Jeff, maybe we should call Jared…“

“No,” Jeffrey cuts her off with a brisk shake of his head. “Jensen will do that himself, right after he took Chris’ head off for following him.”

Sam snorts at that. “You are aware that no curfew will ever get this boy to give up his independence, right? God knows Jensen fought way too hard for it to be losing it now.”

“He will if Jared orders him to do so.”

Samantha’s gaze darkens and she juts out her hip. “Jared would never force Jensen to do anything he doesn't want to do.”

Jeff doesn’t meet her gaze as he stares off into the distance.

“Our son wants his mate _safe_ , Sam. And that's the only thing that counts.”

Jensen hammers his knuckles against Tom’s door until jolts of pain shoot through them.

As soon as the door to the den opens with the tell-tale squeak of rusty hinges, Jensen slips inside, grabbing a startled looking Tom by the lapels of the dark blue bathrobe he’s wearing.

“Jensen- what—“

“When was the last time you talked to Mike?” Jensen blurts out, heart beating frantically in his chest and fingers tightening around the soft fabric of Tom’s bathrobe.

Tom frowns, looking startled by Jensen’s strange demeanor.

His friend pulls the door closed and locks it, bath towel wrapped around his shower-soaked hair like a turban.

“Must have been a few hours ago, after the funeral. Why are you asking?”

“Because I can’t reach Jared on his phone! I’ve tried it three times already,” Jensen waves his cell through the air as if to somehow proof its uselessness before carelessly throwing it onto Tom’s couch and carding his hands through his hair in a panicked manner.

Tom seems to notice his friend’s impending breakdown and gently guides him over to one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter. 

“Alright, how about you calm down there for a second. Maybe he’s in the middle of a meeting or something. I’m sure everything's alright.”

“You don’t know that!” Jensen exclaims, voice wavering on the edge of panic as a new wave of frustration wells up inside of him. “He could be hurt or _worse_ and I can’t even fucking leave the house without a chaperon following me around—"

“Jensen, you’re not making any sense. what are you talking about?” Tom asks and despite Jeffrey’s order to keep things secret for now, Jensen can’t help the truth from bubbling up to the surface.

“All omegas in the pack are put on a curfew because of what happened to Brock. Jeffrey’s going to announce it tomorrow morning. He wants us to be shadowed by alphas as if we couldn’t defend ourselves in a battle.”

Tom sighs heavily, pulling his bathrobe tighter around his shoulders before sitting down next to Jensen at the bar.

“I’m sure it will only be for a couple of days… just until everyone has calmed down from the shock of Brock’s death.”

Jensen sniffs miserably and to his own mortification he realizes that he’s close to crying, eyes eerily wet with unspilt tears.

"Woah, hey.." Tom slings an arm around his shoulder and pulls him in against his side. “C’mon, Jensen, it’s all going to be alright.”

“But—“ Jensen chortles and Tom squeezes his neck in reassurance.

“Look, how about I try calling Mike and you ask him about Jared, huh? Just to calm your nerves?”

Jensen hastily wipes a hand over his eyes, biting his lower lip to rein his composure.

He isn’t usually this emotional- hasn’t cried in a long while, but now that he’s started he finds it incredibly hard to stop.

One of his friends died a day ago, his mate could be hurt for all he knows and Jensen isn’t even allowed to make a step of his own because of that whole surveillance bullshit. Oh and he almost forgot the crazy perve that's after him and probably is connected somehow to Brock’s death. 

“I’m sure he’s fine, Jen,” Tom tries again when he sees a new glimmer of tears rise spark to life in Jensen’s emerald eyes. “Don’t you think you’d feel it if something had happened to him?”

The truth is Jensen doesn’t really know what he should or should not be feeling through the bond.

They have only just started testing it out and hesitantly connected their mind and spirits with each other.

It’s not exactly like they’ve been doing this for years and their bond still isn’t strong enough to transmit thoughts and emotions over such large distances.

“I don’t know… I don’t—can I please just call Mike?”

“Sure,” Tom puts a smile up for his sake, but Jensen can see the worry lines that are etched into his friend’s features when he types in Mike's number.

“Here you go…”

Jensen fumbles for the phone and quickly proceeds to press it to his ear, sighing out a breath of instant relief when Mike picks up after only one ring.

“Babe, everything okay?” Mike’s voice sounds rushed and out of breath when he answers, his tone is dripping with concern and it’s only then that Jensen realizes how ridiculous he’s behaving, calling his pregnant friend's husband and making it seem like Tom had gone into early labor or something...

“Tommy?” Mike presses when Jensen fails to answer immediately. “Fuck, baby are you alright? Is something wrong?”

“Mike, it’s me. Tom is fine, he’s sitting right next to me. I- I was actually trying to reach Jared… is he with you?”

“Jensen…” Mike sighs, sounding worried and Jensen’s heart skips a beat at the reluctance he hears over the crackle of the phone.

“What’s going on, Mike? Why isn’t he answering? Did something happen to him?“

“Hold on,” Mike instructs and Jensen swallows when he hears the phone getting moved around on the other end of the line.

Tom’s forehead crinkles and he mouths a question at Jensen, who shrugs in return, not really sure what's happening.

“Jen?” Jared’s voice suddenly rings through the speaker and Jensen almost slides off the stool with relief.

He closes his eyes and lets out a long, trembling exhale he hadn’t been aware of holding.

“You okay?” Jared asks and Jensen wants nothing more than to reach through the phone and hit his mate up the head.

“You’re asking me that?” he says around a watery snort. “I’ve been calling you and you didn’t respond. You had me so worried, Jay, I thought you got hurt or—“

“I’m fine,” Jared gives back, but Jensen doesn't have to look at him to know that he isn't telling the whole truth

“You’re not. Why are you lying to me?”

“Jensen…” Jared sighs.

He sounds off.

Something is definitely going on and Jensen doesn’t think he’ll like it.

His heart clenches painfully in his chest. “What’s wrong?”

“You remember our peace treaty with the Blood Pack?” Jared asks and a mental image of scarred skin and long blond hair pops up in Jensen’s mind.

He shudders at the mere thought, goose bumps running across his skin.

Jared hadn't mentioned that he was going to visit the Blood Pack.

Luther was never good news.

“What about it?”

There is a tense moment of silence before Jared speaks.

“I might have broken it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, guys! :) There's a storm brewing and the boys are certainly in for some action. I hope you are still up for more! Please let me know what you thought. Reviews are love!


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